What attracted you to the assignment of Director General of OPPI?
|
Ranjana Smetacek
|
As a communicator, I have the deep belief that there is nothing that can’t be resolved or at least made better with thoughtful dialogue. I started my career with a hotel and moved to a PR agency, before joining a pharmaceutical major. My decade at Monsanto saw me dealing with serious issues relating to hunger and food security and then, with Fortis, I migrated to healthcare. So it has been a steady progression towards sectors relating to essential human needs, where there is an opportunity to touch lives in meaningful ways. Healthcare is a hugely important sector and the pharma industry plays a critical role. I believe OPPI and its member companies can make a real difference in improving access to healthcare in India.
Given your experience across diverse sectors, what is your perception of the pharma industry? If, as an outsider on the inside, you are able to step back and see the big picture, what would you change about the industry?
My experience across diverse sectors, and in diverse geographies, has taught me that when it comes to essential needs, people the world over really have the same questions, the same concerns and the same hopes. In any industry, an outsider will introduce a fresh perspective, as distinct from someone deeply immersed in the daily business. In our industry, I consider it important to never lose sight of why we exist – to serve the patient who benefits from our medicines. I would also suggest that we might listen more to our consumers and to other stakeholders.
How do you hope to achieve these objectives as DG, OPPI?
We have thought long and hard about what we want to achieve, both in the year ahead and in the longer term. We are committed to making a real difference in the nation’s healthcare and, with this in mind, have narrowed in on three areas of focus: intellectual property protection, access to healthcare, ethics and compliance. We will try to make progress in all these areas with outreach and dialogue and collaboration. I see it as my role to optimise OPPI’s functionality across three levels: within our small secretariat, in the interaction with our diverse member companies and of course in our communication with the external world.
As a woman professional who has served on every continent, what do you feel are the best ways to encourage/enable/empower women professionals/ entrepreneurs in the life sciences sector? Is OPPI involved in any initiatives?
Speaking for myself, I once attended the St Louis Business Journal’s Annual Women’s Conference, with more than 1,100 business professionals, and it was the most empowering experience! We entirely took over the gigantic downtown venue (including the men’s restrooms!) and the speakers included luminaries like Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Suzy Welch, Priscilla Hill-Ardoin and Jean Chatzky. I think we have to first empower ourselves and it certainly helps to speak to one another! It is very encouraging that organisations have started thinking, talking and acting on gender diversity and this ‘movement’ is gaining momentum. As for OPPI, well, for the first time since we were established in 1965, there is a woman Director General at the helm. So, I would say that is a good initiative!