Ana Flores is a pharmacist by training with a PDD from IESE. She has many year’s experience as a professional in the field of marketing and sales in the Big Pharma and Biotech segments. We know Ana from our Zink office in Madrid. Ana has worked in large companies that are now developing drugs and diagnostic treatments in the fight against COVID: Gilead Sciences, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Abbott/Abbvie Laboratories…
1. What do you think about digital marketing and how it will change in the future?
My specialisation is market research and big pharma consultancy and right now, the reality of COVID has focused efforts on production and logistics. (e.g. Abbott and diagnostic tests), Gilead and Remdesivir and Teva producing corticosteroids. In marketing, I believe that for our sector, Communicating CSR is a major challenge that needs to be worked on. This way we can address social and humanitarian aspects that are closely linked to the reputation of brands.
We have several examples, like what is happening with Astra Zeneca’s vaccine, important and even more critical in pharmaceuticals. Mistakes like these can cost you years of bad reputation. Gilead developed Remdesivir in the first months of the pandemic, in record time with significant media impact, and chose to make the drug available globally and free of charge during 2020.
Abbott developed the antigen tests at incredible speed, locating resources in record time, obtaining a significant impact on its income statement, without the negative impact that is usually associated with economic benefits from pharmaceuticals.
2. Throughout your professional career, what challenges have your faced as a women?
There are several stages depending on your age. In the health sector, women are the majority, both at university and in the workplace. I would highlight 3 very different stages. The first 5-7 years of your career, you have to work hard and learn quickly to progress towards your preferred positions. There are usually many women who reach middle management positions on equal terms.
The second stage is from the age of 30 onwards; motherhood. Many women choose to keep these intermediate positions despite their challenges, but it is very difficult to reconcile work and family life, alongside travel (or at least until recently) and long hours. And the third is access to management positions where the demands are very high, especially in terms of working hours and presence; I travel 80% of the time, including weekends.
I would even add a fourth; management in large multinational companies. Let me ask you a question, how many expat women managers, with children, whose partner takes care of the family do you know? Now, what about men? Even more difficult; how many years and changes of country have they experienced? One thing is to live in the US a couple of years and take advantage of your children learning English and another is to hold a presidency position as an expat in a multinational company, living there with your family. I know very few, and only one Spanish woman, Belén Garijo.
3. What advice would you give to a young woman aspiring to a brilliant career like yours?
Put in the effort, involvement and courage. You have to dare. It’s normal to be afraid of that first presentation, in another language, with unfamiliar faces from different cultures in high up positions. But later they’ll become addictive, that’s where there is another turning point, prepare to withstand the pressure. Not everyone is willing to do it and it may be that women believe, just because they are women, they are less qualified. To be honest, I often found it hard to differentiate between “I’m not willing to work that hard” and “I’m scared to death and I’d rather stay in my comfort zone” in women (and men!). Don’t do anything you don’t want to, but don’t give up out of fear. My advice is to jump.
4. Do you think it’s important for women in the workplace to support one another?
Sure, it’s obvious. Identifying talent early and supporting those women is vital. Often, they don’t need technical support as they already have that skill, but they need to believe in their skills and in themselves.
