Page 98 - Forbes - USA (October 2019)

PROMOTION

held in Philadelphia in June. Partici-
pants learn from the best coaches,
leadership facilitators and current
and former ELC C-suite executives
the strategic and tactical challenges
of the C-suite and receive deeper pro-
fessional and personal guidance and
insights through individual feedback,
assignments and coaching.
More than 300 executive and high-
potential women gathered at the 16th
Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF)
in Atlanta in July to hear ELC, politi-
cal and media luminaries encourage
them to be “Bold Yet Balanced.” In
addition to strategies for corporate
advancement—especially leveraging
the “power of being the only one” in
the room—speakers discussed trail-
blazing as directors and in the C-Suite,
embracing the promise and challenge
of technology now and in the future,
negotiating compensation packages
Billy Dexter, The ELC’s Corporate Board Initiative (CBI) co-chair (second from left), with, l to r,
and winning support from male col-
Dmitri Stockton, former CEO of GE Asset Management and director of multiple corporate boards;
leagues. Inspiration from the explosion Gena Ashe, board director of XPO Logistics; Ken Bouyer, EY, director, Americas Inclusiveness; and
Daniel Clifford, EY, associate director, Board and Executive Referral

Otsuka in the U.S.: Reaching Patients

Through Inclusion And Creativity

At Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. “Our goal is to find more and more
(OAPI), delivering products to serve unmet innovative ways to help patients,” reports
medical needs in the areas of neuroscience Sanket Shah, senior director, OAPI channel
and nephrology is an endeavor that requires strategy and patient support. “Empowering
creativity on the part of each employee. As our people to push boundaries and be as
such, employees at all levels of the organi- creative and innovative as they can be
zation are encouraged to solve problems makes us a magnet for talent. We all listen

DQG WR SHUVHYHUH XQWLO WKH\ ŻQG DQVZHUV to each other.”
“No one is pigeonholed here. If you Shah, a 10-year veteran, has been a
have an idea, you are welcome to share it, part of this inclusiveness as the company SANKET SHAH
even if it is not within your functional area has grown: “I’ve been able to help design Senior Director, OAPI Channel
Strategy and Patient Support
of expertise,” reports April Mitchell, vice some of our support programs to really
president, U.S. and global CNS marketing. help patients appropriately access our
“Otsuka embraces diversity in the largest products. We’ve always had people of
sense of the word. Each of us has much different backgrounds, but there’s more. The
more than a seat at the table, and I felt it even company’s culture is to make sure everyone
before I started at the organization. We all is included.”
have a voice, so we have robust discussions Embracing a culture of inclusion and
that yield informed decisions to ultimately creativity from its vast tapestry of different
EHQHŻW WKH SDWLHQWV ZH VHHN WR KHOS ř cultures, professions and backgrounds,

The idea that everyone has something Otsuka has seen employees deepen their
to contribute is informed by Otsuka’s value engagement and its bottom line grow
of humility, which involves putting individual while, most importantly, addressing unmet
needs, and pride, aside to serve the greater patient needs. APRIL MITCHELL
good. Together, more is possible. Vice President, U.S. and
Global CNS Marketing
8 | DIVERSITY