Her Story
About Janet
Janet Sharp serves as Associate Vice President of Market Access at Sun Pharmaceuticals in Ada, Michigan. With more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, she began her career at Glaxo Welcome in sales and progressed through sales leadership positions at regional and national levels, as well as market access roles at diagnostic companies. She holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Western Ontario and completed graduate studies in Buffalo, New York. Janet leads a team of 15, focusing on customer interfacing, team management, and contract oversight. She is a member of HBA and attributes her success to surrounding herself with focused, grounded, and honest people while emphasizing hard work and focus. Her values center on honesty and integrity, and she advises young women entering the field to listen, learn, and surround themselves with good people. Outside of work, Janet and her husband engage in private philanthropic efforts related to cancer causes in Michigan.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Janet
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the people around me. Obviously it's hard work and focus, but it's making sure you surround yourself with people of like kind - focused, grounded, honest people.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Stay grounded, stay true to yourself, and keep your head down and stay focused on the work. Everything else will sort itself out. If you take your eye off the ball or become distracted, you could get into a lot of trouble. Keep your eye on the ball.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Listen, learn, and surround yourself with good people.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The payer landscape is changing daily, and the way manufacturers have done business in the past is not the way they will do business in the future with insurance companies and specialty pharmacies. It's all up in the air and changing, but the one thing that must continue is improving access for patients, not making it more complicated or more expensive.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty and integrity. Without that, there's nothing. I'm 95-4% traditionalist, which means black and white, right is right, wrong is wrong.
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