Gilead GM talks gender equity and future work trends in the pharma industry – IWD 2022

Leadership & Management: Welcome to Health Industry Hub’s Women in Leadership series connecting, engaging and empowering women in the Pharma, MedTech and Biotech sectors by celebrating and sharing the journey of inspirational and passionate leaders in the industry.

Jamie McCoy, General Manager, Gilead Sciences Australia & New Zealand, joined Health Industry Hub as we #BreakTheBias and celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022.

Influenced by the COVID-19 crisis which has accelerated certain trends and caused organisations to re-evaluate many aspects of work, the theme of this interview focussed on gender equity and the future of work.

Jamie reflected on the current and future workforce trends in the pharma industry and how the #BreakTheBias theme is relevant.

“…but the bias is a bit more insipid than that, I suppose. It’s actually not necessarily what is said, it’s the way people think about different genders in the workplace.”

She shared her perspective on the the great resignation and how leaders should approach this issue in consideration of gender equity and #BreakTheBias.

“That’s the great gift of COVID…people really trying to work out what is it they want from their lives, does their work life work for them and making sure that their organisation is aligned to who they are… and then how we work that needs to change as well,” said Jamie.

Additionally, she highlighted the essential skills and mindset shifts necessary for leaders and their teams to thrive in a changing and complex healthcare landscape.

“If you look at the jobs of the future…it is all about soft skills because computers can do many things a lot better than we can…but what technology can’t do is the soft skills…So get feedback, be authentic as a leader, know what your values are, know what your purpose is…and really work on that as you would any other technical skill – read the books, listen to the podcasts, take on new ideas and really work quite hard on that leadership philosophy.”