This month PME spoke to Rippon Ubhi, Country Lead for Sanofi UK & Ireland, about her new role and her experiences working in different countries
PME: Your career spans almost two decades of senior commercial leadership experience. Tell us about the career path that led you to your current role as Sanofi’s Country Lead for the UK and Ireland?
Rippon Ubhi (RU): I like to break my career path down into three pivotal moments. The first would be when I switched from clinical psychology to a role as a medical sales representative. I found myself drawn to a path where I could blend science with purpose. There were times when I questioned myself, and it was in these moments that I really reflected on my skills and passion and found where I could bring the most value to people’s health.
The second big moment was when I took my first international role outside the UK. From when I was very young, I always told myself that I would work in another country. And it’s here that I discovered my hunger to understand people, cultures and different ways of doing business. And finally, the third big moment was joining Sanofi after 18 years at Astra Zeneca. It’s taken a lot of hard work, but I’m very proud of what we’re doing at Sanofi and excited to take this to the next level in my new role.
PME: You’ve worked in a number of different places, including Japan, a country that has traditionally been very male-dominated. What were some of your experiences there as a woman working in a senior role?
RU: Japan was my first international role and I learnt a huge amount both professionally and personally. I was thrown into this completely different way of life. In my first few months, I felt like an outsider. I was the only woman on the leadership team, which I knew was going to be tough. Luckily, I had some amazing people who took me under their wing and showed me the ropes.
Working in Japan was a real eye-opener for me. I kept asking myself if I could handle it. Could I test my own leadership? Could I change the narrative? I wanted to be someone who could give other women the confidence to take on those leadership roles and set an example for people who may feel like outsiders as well.
It took a bit of time, but I adapted to a new culture, a new language, new norms. And I can tell you, the more time I spent there, the more I loved it. By the end, I didn’t want to leave!
Read the article in full here.