Corinne Buchanan-Russel

What is the biggest challenge facing women leaders in our industry today and how do you overcome it?​

As women leaders, managing the duality of our personal and professional lives has been a longstanding challenge. It is risen to unprecedented heights throughout the pandemic. Working from home has amplified the pressures to support and lead teams to deliver their best while shouldering the burden of often being the primary caregiver at home. We are all navigating though change and the path is uncertain. I navigate through this period by being authentic and vulnerable with teams that I lead. I let them know that I don’t have all the answers, am approachable and very open to suggestions on the ability to lead more effectively. That said like so many women, it has taken me some time to feel comfortable in my own skin, to recognize my value and develop the confidence to lean in my decisions.

What is the leadership/business framework you use most often to help you lead effectively?

While I do not ascribe to a singular leadership framework, having a share vision is an important pillar. I strongly believe that one must be open, flexible and adapt or tailor one’s approach given the individual and situation. This is anchored on a coach approach, supporting people & teams to share their ideas, realize their own plans to solve business challenges and be accountable for their decisions. With this approach, it is important as a leader to recognize and celebrate the successes and failures as opportunities for learning and development to support growth.

What trend in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry does not get enough attention?

This industry has gone through many changes throughout my 30+ years. The business models continue to evolve and adapt to the changing environment. Digital transformation in the form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics fuels fundamental changes in pharma from R&D to commercialization strategies and customer engagement. These new tools hold a promise for improved effectiveness and greater efficiency. However a growing biproduct of this transformation is increasing demands, work pressures and tighter resources. And while many companies speak about ruthlessly prioritizing and empowering employees, saying ‘no’ is not readily accepted. These observations and challenges pre-date the pandemic. Companies continuously shine spotlights on the importance of their employees as instrumental to their success. However, growing trends in employee wellness and mental health threaten to undermine the gains promised with the technological advances.

What can the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry do to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

Canada is one of the most diverse countries in the world. And despite the global nature of the pharmaceutical industry, we lag significantly behind in terms of diversity and inclusion at all levels and especially at executive levels. As an industry we must take action to understand what barriers and biases exists in companies that inhibit diversity across the industry. Understand and take action to address how current recruitment and hiring practises encourage sameness over diversity? Examine current mentorships and career development pathways. To what extent are the executive and leadership teams diverse across the organization and how do they exemplify inclusivity? Establish meaningful diversity goals and openly communicate how the company is progressing. Do not expect to have a perfect solution to this longstanding challenge. Share learnings and be open to acknowledging mistakes made along the way.

To what do you attribute your biggest career successes?

In addition to acknowledging the unwavering support of my family and close friends, the following attributes are fundamental contributors to my biggest career successes.

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a. Self-awareness

b. Curious

c. Agile/Adaptable

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