Choosing Humanity: A New Year’s Wish for Pharma Leadership

As Rosh HaShana approaches, we are reminded of the importance of reflection, renewal, and responsibility. It is a time to look back at the challenges of the past year, but more importantly, to project forward with intention and hope.

In pharma and healthcare, our focus is often on systems, science, and strategy. Yet behind every clinical trial, every regulatory filing, and every distribution milestone, there are people. Teams who wake up every morning and carry the weight of uncertainty, deadlines, and expectations — all while living their own personal stories of resilience.

This past year was not easy. Between geopolitical disruptions, fragile supply chains, and global tension, our teams have been tested in every possible way. What stands out to me most is not the challenges themselves, but how people responded to them: with courage, creativity, and an unwavering sense of responsibility.

Resilience wasn’t only about delivering medicines on time — it was about leaders checking in on their colleagues, teams supporting each other through long hours, and individuals choosing dignity even in stressful circumstances.

As we enter the new year, I believe our most significant responsibility is to invest not only in innovation but in people because the strength of any pharma company is not measured only by its portfolio, but by the culture that sustains it.

• Supportive Management as Strategy Leadership today is not about titles — it is about empathy. Managers who make time to listen, who create psychological safety, and who encourage professional growth are not just “good bosses.” They are the ones ensuring compliance, innovation, and long-term success.
• Mental Well-Being as a Business Priority Stress-related illnesses are on the rise everywhere, including inside our own organizations. Ignoring burnout costs more than addressing it. Providing flexibility, resources, and honest conversations about mental health is not a luxury — it is essential to sustainable performance.
• Recognition and Growth People don’t just want a paycheck; they want to feel valued. Recognition, mentorship, and opportunities to grow across functions and geographies are the real “retention strategy.” When people envision a future for themselves within a company, they help shape its future.

The year ahead will bring more volatility — we already know that. But it will also bring opportunities to prove what kind of industry and what kind of leaders we want to be.

I project a year where supportive leadership is recognized as a competitive advantage—a year where resilience means not just surviving disruptions, but creating workplaces where people thrive despite them. And a year where we remember that the most sophisticated system in pharma is not a supply chain or a regulatory pathway — it is the network of human beings who make all of this possible.

On this Rosh HaShana, my wish is simple: that we, as leaders and colleagues, continue to balance strategy with humanity. That we see resilience not as an operational mechanism, but as a culture we actively build. And that we never forget that our people — their health, their spirit, their dignity — are the foundation of everything we achieve.