As a child, Cornelia Lassen, Head of Portfolio, Europe Generics, always wanted to be a pharmacist. It seemed to her that she could easily combine family life, her love for science and flexible working hours with the job. But her first class at university in Germany made her realise she needs to do more. An internship at a major university pharmacy opened her world and her mind to the kind of difference she can make in the lives of patients, and since then, there’s been no looking back.
“I always see the patient,” says Cornelia, as she recounts her fascinating journey in the pharma world. She co-led a hospital pharmacy for five years at 23, where she specialised as a clinical pharmacist and advised physicians on best courses of treatment following their diagnoses. This type of collaboration was unique in Germany at the time, but then, Cornelia has always been a pioneer. “I always aim at the most optimum result in every situation,” she says. “I change the way things are done to achieve that.”
Over the years, Cornelia has held important positions at some of Europe’s biggest pharmaceutical companies, including Hexel, Sandoz and Teva. She has helmed R&D projects, portfolio integration processes and more, but for many years, rejected key leadership positions several times – with no regret. “I realised early on how tough it is to manage having a child and being in a leading role,” says Cornelia. “Given how committed I am, I would always put business over family because you need to deliver world-class work. But you also want to be a mother and do the best for your children.”
As her children grew older, however, opportunities came knocking again, and Cornelia has been in leadership positions ever since. “Being a leader is not nine to five work,” she says. “You’re working whenever it is required, because you have too many responsibilities.”
Her advice for aspiring leaders? “Be authentic and honest to yourself, be clear about your priorities and everything will fall in place,” says Cornelia. As opposed to 20-odd years ago, women can climb to the top more easily now, and organisations are always able to gauge one’s ability to lead irrespective of gender. What is key, though, is that we self-reflect to understand whether we have that capability or not. “No one is more valuable than the other, and everyone’s job is just as valuable,” she says. “So, go for a role where you can draw boundaries if you want to choose family and children over work.”
But what’s more important is that women find what centres them and energises them to keep pace with demanding work and family life. “I would not be able to keep up my pace if I didn’t have a space to feel refreshed,” says Cornelia. “For me, it’s my horses. They help to ground me and find my centre.”