What barriers did you face in reaching leadership, and how did you overcome them?
Before joining Samsung Bioepis, most of my professional life was happening behind the walls of a laboratory, working every day with a small group of scientists trying to solve questions whose answers could be found in laboratories. When I was appointed as a functional group leader at Samsung Bioepis, I was able to learn the true 'leadership and management' from the very ground level. This includes self-awareness, communication with colleagues based on empathy, and motivating others, backed by tremendous support from the company and my co-workers who helped me understand the core value of leadership and navigate my own leadership style. For me, the biggest difference in leading a team of scientists in a business setting versus in an academic setting is that there is a common goal which needs to be achieved, and the leader needs to inspire every individual within the team to try their best and overcome challenges in order to achieve the common goal. There is something deeply inspiring about that collective pursuit.
How has your leadership style evolved, and what qualities matter most today?
In the beginning, I was a very hands-on type of leader, where I would be one of the core members involved deeply in projects, as we had only a few scientists to carry out the tasks. And soon later, my role shifted to executing larger projects, where I needed to lead a larger group of people, setting up and executing strategies in order to achieve very challenging goals. When you work at a biopharmaceutical company like Samsung Bioepis, you would come across many talented young scientists who are devoted to helping people with life-threatening illnesses through science. Patients are always at the center of our everyday work, and upholding the highest quality standard is a non-negotiable for any kind of work or during any stage of development. Respecting and listening to your team members are also critical for creating the synergy within the team, since we all have the same goal and dream to achieve and it can only be achieved by working as one team.
What changes are needed to advance women into leadership?
As I began to take on greater responsibilities, I could feel that many times, people were expecting to experience a certain type of leadership that they are familiar with. If we could embrace diverse leadership styles and be more open about learning from different types of leadership, that diversity will make us more creative and powerful, while also creating a more equitable leadership pathway for life science companies.
What advice do you have for women pursuing leadership in science?
We all have more strength and potential than we realise, and having diverse backgrounds (e.g., race, age, gender) and openly sharing various perspectives can lead to unexpected, profound ideas and results. Shared curiosity and questions become a powerful force for solving problems. So even if your ideas feel like a minority, take courage and speak up!
Ayesha Siddiqui
