Rebecca Pike, PhD

I attribute my success to a combination of curiosity, technical excellence, disciplined problem-solving, and the mentorship and sponsorship I’ve received throughout my career. My career began with a deep curiosity about biology, marine science, and natural products, which ultimately led me to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Over time, I learned that technical expertise alone is not enough — building strong teams, creating inclusive environments, and helping others grow are equally important to long-term success.

I’ve also benefited greatly from mentors, sponsors, and colleagues who encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and take on challenging opportunities. I approach leadership with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to ask questions, and I believe those qualities have helped me navigate technically complex and high-stakes environments successfully.

One of the best pieces of career advice I received was to continue pushing beyond my comfort zone and pursue opportunities for growth, even when I didn’t feel fully ready. Mentors encouraged me to pursue advanced education, including my PhD, and to adopt a “figure it out” mindset when facing new technical or leadership challenges.

That advice taught me that growth rarely happens when you stay comfortable. Some of the most meaningful opportunities in my career came from stepping into unfamiliar spaces, learning quickly, asking thoughtful questions, and trusting my ability to adapt and lead through uncertainty.

I would tell young women not to wait until they feel completely ready before stepping into new opportunities. Many of the biggest growth moments in my career came when I accepted roles or responsibilities that challenged me technically and professionally. You do not need to have every answer — what matters most is curiosity, resilience, humility, discipline, and the confidence to ask good questions.

I would also strongly encourage building your network early. Mentors, sponsors, peers, and trusted colleagues make an enormous difference throughout your career. Leadership is not about knowing everything; it’s about creating clarity, building trust, supporting your teams, and helping people move forward together. Staying curious and open to learning will always create opportunities for growth.

One of the biggest opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry right now is the advancement of innovative therapies and AI-supported initiatives that can improve manufacturing, development, and patient outcomes. I’m currently involved in global technical transfers for oncology therapies, and it’s exciting to contribute to treatments that have the potential to significantly impact patients’ lives. At the same time, the industry faces challenges related to technical complexity, manufacturing scale-up, regulatory expectations, supply assurance, and maintaining operational excellence in highly regulated environments. Successfully navigating these challenges requires strong collaboration, strategic thinking, process optimization, and the ability to lead teams effectively through constant change and innovation.

The values that are most important to me are curiosity, inclusivity, humility, resilience, mentorship, and maintaining healthy work-life boundaries. I believe strongly in creating environments where people feel heard, respected, and empowered to contribute their ideas and expertise. Building strong teams and helping others grow professionally is something I care deeply about. In my personal life, I value spending time in nature, traveling, mentoring others, volunteering at a dog rescue, and investing in my close relationships. Over the years, I’ve become increasingly intentional about protecting balance outside of work so I can show up fully present both professionally and personally. I believe maintaining that balance ultimately allows me to lead more effectively and contribute at my highest level.