Negar Azarikey

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

​

As a woman, one of my challenges was tackling my Imposter Syndrome.

I was concerned about mainly being judged from many aspects. Examples like, how I can manage my work-life balance or why being assertive would be translated to being ambitious or even why sympathizing with a colleague would make a soft manager. These all lead you to negative thoughts and ultimately underestimating yourself.

We all know or felt in a way some women leaders who shy away from speaking about their accomplishments to fear being boastful or conceited. Women tend to think it's needed to shrink themselves to seem non-intimidating.

But I know confidence comes when you believe in yourself. As a solution, before any critical meetings or presentations, deep breaths or a success pose helps! I recommend trying it! An activity like a walk, a journaling exercise, or books like Brené Brown has worked well to help manage my perfectionism.

April is Celebrate Diversity Month, which recognizes & honours the diversity surrounding us. Share how you advocate for diversity in a meaningful way as a leader?

​

Gladly, we are hearing more and more about diversity nowadays. We've come a long way, but I guess we've just scratched the surface and are still a long way in front of us to make a real change. I believe identifying and accepting the gap in the current situation vs. goal is the first step towards building a more diverse, unbiased, inclusive environment in pharma. D&I must be prioritized in every organization with a clear strategy. Everyone should be aware of cultural differences, race, or gender and be open to providing a fair opportunity for each team member.

Increasing awareness plays a significant role in recognizing diversity; therefore, I believe in altering the landscape of an organization so that leaders must proactively engage and be the leaders in organizational diversity and inclusion initiatives.

I feel responsible and committed to challenging stereotypes, combating discrimination, breaking bias, and inspiring future generations.

What trend is going on in the pharmaceutical industry that doesn't get enough attention?

​

The pharma industry has taken a big swing into digital transformation. Most companies are investing in digital health topics. But as with all trending issues, many ambiguities are hard to see through. I believe that being innovative and offering multi-channel operational plans will provide the best experience for the HCPs and patients. It's time to embrace what is crystal clear. Digital health is changing care, medical practice, and how pharma innovations reach patients.

As the medical community increasingly acknowledges the importance of digital health, the cultural shift we often talk about is still a way to go. The first step is always getting to know what's coming to change that.

What leadership or business framework do you often use to help you lead effectively?

​

In my opinion, a good leader is someone who inspires the team to willingly follow and empower individuals to put their talents to achieve the goal. Also, building trust is the foundation for leading. I react calmly and empathetically when the team deals with difficult work or life situations and ensure that they can count on me. I believe the team needs to see that their leaders have a clear direction in mind in order to have faith that their leader will guide them in the right direction.

What impact has social networking & social media had on you?

​

For many, social media appears to have a range of benefits. We can support other people and feel supported by them. After the pandemic, I would say social media was a platform helping people to feel being supported by others who have a hard time with face-to-face interactions to connect with others. The impact it had on me was a valuable communication tool with others locally and worldwide to share, create, and spread information.

How do you help foster culture and belonging with your colleagues/team/organization?

​

This subject was essential for most organizations with employees working remotely during the pandemic. I believe being regularly connected is vital. I have scheduled regular meetings with my manager, team and peers to give feedback, share and review the ongoing projects together to know their expectations and time-frames. Also, I meet and chat on an informal basis from time to time; in my opinion, the lack of opportunities to socialize outside of work has negatively impacted everyone working from home.