CACS 2022 Career Development Discussion

To different people, the word “leadership” has different meanings and connotations. What does it mean to you? 

Today, “leadership” has a much deeper sense of calling and complexity. Both prevailing perception and research data show a disproportionate of leadership representation of Asian Americans, particularly Chinese Americans, in the corporate world.  And the gap remains large and widens over the years. Despite ambition and diligent efforts, many are stuck beneath the seemingly impenetrable “bamboo ceiling.” Some are frustrated, but many are contented.

Both from the individual and group perspectives, we ought to examine these gaps holistically, with courage, determination, and multifaced approaches. Collectively, there is an urgent need for us to wake up and to step up. 

Leadership skills are different from those hard skills we acquired from graduate school training. Many of them involve human skills. With openness and purpose, we all can rise up to elevate and expand our leadership capabilities. With mindful learning, we can incorporate many important elements into our own behaviors and become stronger leaders.

For sure, it is a journey worth embarking on.

John is an inspirational leader and a seasoned professional in the pharmaceutical industry, and also a passionate practitioner and advocate for career development.  Currently he is a Global Program Lead at Novartis, and had served as Global Analytics Project Manager and Global Program Team Director in different franchises and development units. Before Novartis, John held positions with increased R&D responsibilities from Whitehall-Robins, Kos Pharmaceuticals, Schering-Plough, and Sanofi-Aventis.  Over the years, John has actively volunteered in various professional organizations, served as Chair of Project Management Community in Drug Information Association (DIA), President and Career Lead at Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association (SAPA), Chair of Chinese Culture Community, President of Novartis Toastmasters Club and Area Director of Toastmasters International at District 83.  John had presented in various domestic and international symposia on project management, drug development, and career development.  John obtained his PhD in pharmaceutics from Virginia Commonwealth University, MBA from Rutgers University, and BMed from Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. John is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), trained in black-belt for lean six-sigma, and a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM).