"There has never been a female CEO of a big pharma company."
Wait, what did the journalist just say?
How can this be possible? Women make 80 percent of the healthcare decisions for their families, according to the US Department of Labor report. They use more healthcare than men. More caregivers are women. Harvard reports that women now drive the world economy, controlling "about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending."
And we still have not had a female CEO of a big pharma company?
After the interview was over, my colleagues and I discussed this statement over dinner, and one of them, Najoh Tita-Reid, another incredible woman in leadership, said something that stuck. She said, 'From great results, great opportunities are given, more women are getting a chance to show what they can do."
She's right. Looking around at female leaders like IBM's Ginni Rometty, Linda Boff, the CMO at GE, and our own Erica Mann, who leads the second largest consumer health company in the world, we are showing what we can do. And we can do everything.
So now the only question is, who will be the first female CEO of a big Pharma company? I cannot wait to find out. And I will be waiting in line to give her my support to help deliver great results, and open more doors for more women in our industry, and in all industries. And hopefully, by the time my little niece is finishing school, there won't be any doors left to open.