UPDATE – CPhI North America Announces Second Women in Leadership Forum

Expert panel of pharmaceutical executives to discuss strategies for diversity and the vital role of women executives in progressive organizations

NEW YORK, April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Women in Leadership Forum, CPhI North America, the only event to bring the complete North American pharma supply chain together, today announced details of the 2018 Women in Leadership Forum, which will take place on Thursday 26th April, from 8:00 am to 11:30am at Pennsylvania Convention Center.

There is a full schedule of proceedings, including a keynote address by Lynn Taylor, Senior Vice President, Head of Healthcare Global Government and Public Affairs & Head of Corporate and Government Relations USA, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and a panel discussion - Empowering Women to Thrive - also featuring Taylor plus executives from Chromocell, DSM and Pfizer, who will discuss the vitality and importance of women leaders and progression within the pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals markets, as well as challenges women still face. Moderated by Alise Cortez, podcast host and a Consultant at Insigniam, an international management consulting firm, the panel includes keynote speaker Lynn Taylor, Tina Garyantes from Chromocell, Hugh Welsh from DSM, and Mike Kosko from Pfizer.

According to the most recent data from the National Science Foundation, 57.2 percent of all bachelor’s degrees, 59.9 percent of all master’s degrees, and 50.1 percent of all doctoral degrees are all earned by women. Yet today we still see a discrepancy in employment in many places, the pharmaceuticals industry included. To put it into perspective, among the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the Fortune 500, only 17 percent of executives in those companies are women, and three had no women in an executive position at all. Furthermore, according to a Glassdoor report, even after adjustments to account for factors such as age, experience, and occupation there’s still a notable and unexplained wage gap of 5.4 percent between men and women. On the bright side, however, the adjusted wage gap is amongst smallest in the biotech and pharmaceuticals companies.

The Women in Leadership forum seeks to address these issues head-on and provide constructive dialogue where experts in this industry share experiences and strategies helpful in establishing equality for everyone and unleashing untapped potential in the pharmaceuticals industry. As DSM’s Hugh Welsh has stated, “It’s pretty well understood that when you’re in the majority culture—it could be by gender, by race, by national origin—you’re completely blind to your privilege. And I was blind to the privilege that I enjoyed until I built up a relationship with those who are part of the minority culture in the company who could help enlighten me.”

The full schedule (subject to change) for the Forum is as follows:

08:00 – 08:30 | Breakfast & Networking - Start your day at CPhI North America by networking with like-minded women in Pharma
08:30 – 08:35 | Welcome from the Chair
08:35 – 09:05 | Keynote
09:05 – 10:10 | Panel Discussion and Q&A: Empowering Women to Thrive
How can you leverage your support systems to realize your potential? Topics to include:

• Mentoring - helping each other to succeed
• Corporate strategies & company culture
• Self-empowerment - what can you do to create your own opportunities?
• Paying it forward

10:10 – 11:00 | World Café (dynamic networking space) - Join group discussions focusing on answering your questions and discussing yours, the panel's and your peers' experiences.
11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee & Networking

“The 2018 edition of the CPhI North America Women in Leadership Forum will focus on ‘leveraging support systems’, from mentoring to exploring inspiring corporate initiatives,” commented Joseph Marks Brand Director for CPhI North America. “This year’s speaker line-up – a highly experienced and diverse panel of Pharma experts - will share wisdom, personal experiences and advice throughout the discussion, enabling attendees to take away tangible tools to benefit both their own career and to help others’ career growth. The Women in Leadership Forum is an important opportunity for networking, personal development and promoting diversity in Pharma, issues that we’re passionate about.”

To reserve your place at the Women in Leadership Forum, log onto http://cphinorthamerica.com/wilf

About CPhI
CPhI drives growth and innovation at every step of the global pharmaceutical supply chain from drug discovery to finished dosage. Through exhibitions, conferences and online communities, CPhI brings together more than 100,000 pharmaceutical professionals each year to network, identify business opportunities and expand the global market. CPhI hosts events across Europe, Asia and, now, North America and co-locates with iCSE for contract services, P-MEC for machinery, equipment & technology, InnoPack for pharmaceutical packaging and Bioprocessing for biopharma. CPhI provides an online buyer & supplier directory at www.CPhI-Online.com. For more information, please visit www.CPhI.com.

About UBM Americas
UBM Americas, a part of UBM plc, delivers events and marketing services in the fashion technology, licensing, advanced manufacturing, automotive and powersports, healthcare, veterinary and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Through a range of aligned interactive environments, both physical and digital, UBM Americas increases business effectiveness for customers and audiences through meaningful experiences, knowledge and connections. The division also includes UBM Brazil's market leading events in construction, cargo transportation, logistics & international trade, and agricultural production; and UBM Mexico's, construction, advanced manufacturing and hospitality services shows. For more information, please visit www.ubmamericas.com. 

Media Contacts:
Jess Schoenholtz, CPhI North America		Mark Button, CG Life
jess.schoenholtz@ubm.com		mbutton@cglife.com
609-433-8655		408-310-2168