 Kim Eun-young, new managing director at Novartis Singapore, is the first Korean employee to lead an oveseas office of the global pharmaceutical company. / Courtesy of Novartis |
On May 16, in a landmark designation, a female Korean employee was appointed the managing director at Novartis Singapore. It is the first time for a Korean employee to lead an overseas Novartis office.
Refreshingly, the champion here as a woman, is eager to motivate young females to enter an industry that practices meritocracy.
“In the 90’s, there weren’t many saleswomen in the pharmaceutical sector. I was lucky to have gotten my feet in the door at a global company,” Kim Eun-young told The Korea Times in an email interview.
She stressed that her company awards employees based on achievements and relies on data for decision making, and her gender has not stopped her from serving in the most coveted posts during the past eight years.
“I was attracted to the fair working environment, the continuous opportunities to learn and various chances for self-development.”
Novartis offers international assignments strictly based on high performance in previous roles.
“Recently, I was selected as one of 30 senior executive female leaders and participated in a global project,” she said. In five teams of six, the women from Korea, the United States, Spain, Turkey, China and Australia discussed business strategies for the global company over a period of nine months.
Kim started her career at the Switzerland-based company in 2004 as a product manager for Diovan, a hypertension medication, after studying business at Yonsei University and pharmacy at Ewha Womans College.
Ever since, she has worked at the company’s Seoul or Singapore office and at the headquarters in Basel. Prior to the promotion, she served as the business unit director of the Seoul branch’s specialty medicine division.
In her new position as the head of Novartis Singapore, she will cultivate the visions and strategies to carry on the caring and curing principle of the company and represent the office in interactions with stakeholders.
“I am also responsible for making sure that the medications we have developed or will develop get to patients who need them.”
She said that any young woman interested in pharmaceuticals with passion and curiosity should consider the fast-paced industry.
“Working in the field of health care does not mean you are selling drugs. It is a job that can have a significant effect on a patient and the family.”
“Many female leaders in various industries talk about the sacrifices or trade-offs they have had to make to get to where they are now. Everyone struggled and the most difficult part of it was that there were no women in high positions to ask for advice,” Kim recalled.
“How amazing is it that now there are female mentors who have paved the path! Don’t hesitate. Ask for advice, ask for help.”
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