By: Rupali Manek
This International Women’s Day, I am reflecting on my experience stepping into Cole Pinnow’s role as President of Pfizer Canada through Plan Canada’s Girls Belong Here Program. Throughout the last week of February, I met with Cole and other leaders at Pfizer to discuss current diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts while identifying areas for future improvement. This experience was truly unforgettable and I learned so much from all the inspiring individuals I had the pleasure of meeting.
Going into this experience, I felt incredibly nervous about not having enough to offer Cole and other leaders at Pfizer. Those nervous feelings very quickly dissipated as Cole and the entire Pfizer team were so kind, welcoming, and encouraging. As a result, I got to be a part of some really thought-provoking and inspiring conversations.
Meeting with Cole Pinnow, President of Pfizer Canada.
My initial meeting with Cole challenged the pervasive negative perceptions that society has about big pharmaceutical companies. Cole shared Pfizer’s genuine commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and most importantly, recognized that there is still a long way to go. He shared with me the four core values at Pfizer: courage, excellence, equity, and joy. The value of joy at a pharmaceutical company is not one I expected to hear but was absolutely a value that shone through in my interactions with Cole and other leaders at Pfizer.
Early in the week, I had the honour of meeting Fabien, Lorella, and Jelena from Pfizer Canada’s Vaccine Team. We discussed the central role that collaboration amongst a cross-functional team plays in scientific innovation at Pfizer. I learned a great deal from these three incredible leaders about facing and overcoming challenges. When faced with obstacles, Fabien shared that reflecting on a common goal is key to team success. Even when there are challenges along the way, revisiting the ultimate goal can provide clarity and a path forward.
Meeting with Pfizer Canada’s Vaccine Team to discuss science and innovation.
Hearing about their unique career journeys made me realize that being uncomfortable can be a good thing, as it can guide you towards accepting new challenges and subsequent personal growth! Likewise, I realized that opportunities present themselves at times and in ways you would not expect. As an undergraduate student with a tendency to plan everything with great detail, spontaneity is not something I previously appreciated. Jelena’s insight that “with the right team and mindset, the impossible is possible”, resonated with me and this is a lesson that Pfizer has definitely embodied this past year!
With the aim of identifying areas for future progress, I met with Ranjita, Alex, Arshia, and Lisa from the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Community of Practice. Given that the Canadian patient population is incredibly diverse, it is critical that this diversity be paralleled in the pharmaceutical workforce. We discussed at length Pfizer Canada’s current initiatives to increase the representation of marginalized groups at all levels. Pfizer Canada is working towards Canada’s 50-30 challenge. The 50 represents true gender parity, in other words, equal gender representation. The 30 represents underrepresented groups comprising 30% of the workforce to reflect the greater Canadian population. While ensuring diversity in the workforce at large is an imperative step, it is critical that this diversity translates into senior leadership positions.
Meeting with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team to learn about current initiatives and identify areas for strides forward.
In a meeting with Frédéric, Jennifer, Christina, and Alex, I had the opportunity to discuss new and unique ways to break down barriers surrounding women’s health. Having received some information about me prior to our meeting, a topic of interest for them was my work tackling period poverty in Edmonton and the inaccessibility of menstrual products with my student group, Champions of Change UAlberta. I had the chance to share lessons learned from my own community involvement and apply them to potential future directions for Pfizer. We discussed impediments to reaching certain populations such as those in rural communities or individuals facing cultural barriers to open conversations about women’s health. Frédéric,
Jennifer, Christina, and Alex had lots of questions for me and I was able to share my unique ideas on how to better reach youth, women, and other marginalized communities. They offered me valuable words of advice that I will carry forward in my future endeavors. Frédéric Lavoie, Internal Medicine Business Lead, shared a piece of advice learned from his own leadership experience: “be soft on people, but tough on issues”. As I strive to become a better leader, this is a lesson I will definitely reflect on and incorporate. In the eloquent words of Frédéric, “strong convictions should be followed by strong actions”. While raising awareness and engaging in advocacy are critical first steps to accelerating change, they must be followed by tangible actions over time.
Meeting with Frédéric, Jennifer, Christina, and Alex to discuss unique ways to break down barriers surrounding women’s health.
“It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress” is a phrase I shared in my conversation about barriers surrounding women’s health. Hearing about how much it resonated with Frédéric, Jennifer, Christina, and Alex, I realized that maybe this is the best advice I can offer! It is tempting to want perfection, however, I’ve come to appreciate the real beauty in the journey of progress as well as the learnings and growth that go along with it.
To end off the week, I spent Friday morning at Pfizer Canada’s February town hall where I had the opportunity to hear updates from all of Pfizer’s colleagues and share my learnings from the week!
Mentorship is an integral component of the Girls Belong Here program and was an important topic of discussion throughout my week with Pfizer. The importance of mentorship is something I have a strong connection to through my involvement with the Raj Manek Mentorship Program, a non-profit founded by the Saskatchewan business community in my late grandfather’s name. While I never had the opportunity to meet my grandfather before his passing, his legacy and passion for mentorship and giving back to the community have had a significant influence on my life.
Attending Pfizer’s February virtual town hall. As a panelist, I had an opportunity to share my learnings from the week with Pfizer Canada colleagues
My experience with the Girls Belong Here program has shown me that mentorship encompasses much more than a mentor providing guidance to a protégé. One thing that stood out to me during my week at Pfizer was everyone’s willingness to sit back and listen to my perspective and experiences. Through engaging in mutual conversation with Cole and other Pfizer leaders, I have come to understand that mentorship is truly a reciprocal relationship where both parties can learn and grow. In my meetings with Pfizer colleagues, I shared the important role that mentorship can play in advancing workplace diversity and empowering traditionally marginalized communities.
If there is one thing I have learned throughout my experience, it is that youth have an important voice. I initially felt I did not have much to contribute, or that I needed to wait until I had more experience before sharing my perspective. Through meeting with Cole and other leaders at Pfizer, I quickly realized that as much as I wanted to learn from them, they also wanted to learn from me. So if I can impart some final words of wisdom and lessons I’ve learned… make sure you follow your convictions with tangible actions, know that the impossible is possible, strive for progress not perfection, and always remember how important your voice is!
Thank you…
Cole Pinnow, President of Pfizer Canada
Fabien Paquette, Vaccines Canada Lead
Frédéric Lavoie, Internal Medicine Business Lead
Lorella Garofalo, Head of Regulatory Affairs at Pfizer Canada ULC; Global Regulatory Affairs / Global Product Development
Jelena Vojicic, Vaccines Medical Lead at Pfizer Canada Inc.
Ranjita Banerjee, Commercial Effectiveness & Portfolio Marketing Lead at Pfizer
Alex Tsang, Senior Brand Manager at Pfizer
Arshia Ghani, Associate Director at Pfizer Canada
Lisa Del Signore, Human Resources Business Partner at Pfizer Canada Inc.
Jennifer Pino, Women's Health Portfolio Marketing Manager
Christina Cogan, Marketing Director, Internal Medicine at Pfizer
… for having these important discussions with me, and for sharing your experiences while taking the time to listen to mine.
I’d also like to thank Plan Canada for empowering young women like myself. Plan Canada featured my experience in a recent blog post, you can check it out here: https://stories.plancanada.ca/breaking-the-glass-ceiling-empowering-girls-to-become-tomorrows-leaders/
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