The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) comprises organizations and individuals from the international healthcare industry. The HBA was founded in 1977 as a global nonprofit organization and since then has worked to promote gender equality and further the advancement of women in the healthcare industry.
In few other industries are women represented in such great numbers as in the healthcare sector. Despite this, most of the top management positions in healthcare businesses, associations and organizations are held by men. With its annual awards for outstanding women, the nonprofit organization aims to draw attention to that fact and to highlight the huge potential of the many talented women in the healthcare industry. The “Rising Stars” category recognizes women who still have most of their careers ahead of them but have already distinguished themselves through their extraordinary achievements.
We at CSL Behring are proud to have a true Rising Star among our ranks. Simone is the Director of the Analytical Services Quality division. Since 2015, Simone has worked in several positions at CSL in the quality sector. We, the CSL Behring communications team, caught up with the 37-year-old sports enthusiast for a quick chat.
Hi Simone, congratulations on your award! Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do in your day-to-day work at CSL Behring?
Simone: I am Head of Quality Control at the Marburg site. As this is a large department with over 270 employees, my day consists of many different and varied tasks. From leadership tasks on technical issues to pure personnel-related issues, it’s a bit of everything. I find it really exciting.
Are there any qualities that you consider particularly important for your job as a manager that women tend to bring with them more than men?
Simone: No, I don’t think so. It is important to be able to deal with people and to take them as they are. I deal with so many people every day, and each of them thinks and acts differently. But I am convinced that diversity is important for organizations, it enriches the teams. The difference between women and men is just one of many.
What advice would you give to other women who might be at the beginning of their career?
Simone: I think it is important to constantly reflect on yourself. Who am I, what makes me unique, what is important to me, and what do I find stressful? Only those with good self-awareness who can manage themselves will be able to manage others. And it is essential that you enjoy what you do. Only then can you truly be successful at it, and then the desire to keep trying new things and learning also comes automatically. And for that, you also need to have good self-awareness.