Gail Thornton

I think it would be just keeping focus, being diligent, having your eye on the ball. I try to listen and learn from everyone who I meet, because I think everyone has a great story to tell. Learning and growing has been essential to my journey. I'm a very driven person, always pushing myself to keep learning and keep growing. I expose myself to many different cultures while I can and learn from that. I'm an avid believer in scholastic learning, so I push myself and have that drive and ambition. I think that's mostly key.

Probably professionally, the best advice I've received is just keep learning, keep growing. Expose yourself to many different cultures while you can and learn from that. I'm an avid believer in scholastic learning, so push yourself and have that drive and ambition. I think that's mostly key.

I would say absorb all of the knowledge and learning you can from people around you. Find a good mentor, or mentors, I think that would help. Women today, I think, have a great opportunity to make a difference, and I think the best you can do in terms of expanding your own reach and learning and growing would be the best thing that you could do.

The biggest challenge would be the regulations from government and other regulatory bodies. There are many rules and regulations that products need to go through in terms of research and development, and from a regulatory status, a lot of reviews and approvals. This puts pressure on the business, and it also adds different light when you're having to explain that in communications, whether it be in a press release or how to explain it to employees. For example, why a product is delayed, or why a product didn't get the approval, or why it got a conditional approval. Employees who aren't involved in the research and development or regulatory or licensing aspects of a particular product getting approval sometimes don't understand what actually goes into that, the length of time that it takes, and the costs as well. The biggest opportunity would be the ability to think strategically and the ability to use communications as a vehicle to affect change. That would be using influencers, social media, integrated marketing campaigns to call attention to a particular therapy or therapeutic area or product. I think there are many ways that you could work with not only marketing, but with policy and communications to affect change by having an integrated plan.

Both professionally and personally, I think having a strong network of people, whether it be your family, your friends, your business colleagues, and building strong relationships and having an impact on not only the career, but on life. I think having good judgment always counts for something, and being persuasive and having a sense of candor as well. I think setting an example, respecting feelings, being motivated, adapting quickly, being an overachiever all have a place. It's just not one particular thing. I think that all of those collectively allow for both professional and personal growth.