Who is WILMAH?
This year we want you to get to know us better. We spent 2018 getting organized, assembling our board, finding sponsors, hosting networking events and membership drives and making plans to bring great content to you. In 2019, we want to host more events and share more information with you that will help all of us execute our mission to build a community of women who aspire to inspire and develop current and future generations of female leaders in animal health.
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Meet Your Board
My name is Julia Loew, and I currently serve as the Chair of WILMAH, the association launched in 2017 to drive leadership and mentorship opportunities for women within Animal Health. As the founder, the vision for WILMAH began several years ago, after a small group of women leaders came together to discuss our journeys, successes and challenges. Many of these women were mentors for me and I wanted to create this same
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community on a larger scale. Our vision quickly became clear: igniting a new culture within our industry that empowered women leaders, creating a community of passionate women investing in each other through mentorship, forming a platform for personal development, and advocating for action within Animal Health that will help overcome common challenges and barriers to success. Our board members and officers, committee leaders, active members and sponsor companies all play a role in the responsibilities of this culture, and as we embark on year two of the association, I am even more energized to work with current and future female leaders within all aspects of Animal Health.
I have been proud to serve in this industry for over 20 years, and honored to have held several leadership positions with my most recent being as Senior Director of Global Marketing, Companion Animal and Senior Director of Commercial Operations, Companion Animal at Elanco Animal Health, a role which took me to Switzerland for the past 18 months. Quite honestly, if you had told me 22 years ago I would relocate myself and my family to another country to pursue a new opportunity, I may have laughed out loud. My younger self didn’t always see the possibilities in my career or in my own skill set. However, I have had many leaders throughout the past two decades, both men and women, who have provided not only amazing advice, support, and coaching, but also sometimes a much needed kick in the you know what, that encouraged me to take on new roles, even when I was unsure I could do them. If I could give advice to my younger self, or to new women leaders just embarking on their journeys, I would encourage you to take more risks, raise your hand for new opportunities, and surround yourself with mentors who will not only guide you but challenge you too. Build your community. And then, pay it forward to other women in the industry.
I recently read a great article by Meghan Fitzgerald in Fortune magazine. In the article, she describes being asked to provide names of potential CEO candidates to a recruiter and she quickly realizes that for every eight male potential candidates, she only had about two women on the same list. She became engaged in creating a stronger list of potential female talent, emphasizing “the importance of helping other women, something which requires diligence, and to be honest, humility”. She goes on to say that “endorsing female candidates for high-level positions benefits all of us.” I believe this point is critical to creating diversity within our organizations and our industry, which drives innovation and ideas that add more value to our customers. As part of building the female leadership community within WILMAH, I also encourage you to begin to build your list….create a pipeline of leaders and mentors that matter, and then pass it on. #knowyourlist
If you would like to become a member of WILMAH, please visit our website at www.wilmah.org.
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WILMAH hosts Jeff Simmons & Dr. Kate Price at VMX
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We kicked off 2018 by hosting Jeff Simmons and Dr. Kate Price at VMX. The topic was Conscious Leadership: How Women Can Inspire Change. With increasing pressure to innovate and develop in a rapidly changing corporate environment, there is a need for a new, more flexible style of leadership. Women are ideally placed to lead changes that require increased self-awareness and the development of emotional intelligence. Understanding both how we build relationships and impact others as well as the ways in which we undermine and sabotage ourselves as women and as leaders, will enable women to step to the forefront of change and leadership in the coming decades.
“I found the speaker, Dr. Kate Price, to be very engaging, but didn’t really expect to learn anything new from her presentation. Instead, I found that I’m guilty of several of the self-sabotaging behaviors she mentioned – putting everyone else before myself, never saying no, waiting for someone to notice my perfect performance, etc. It was an eye-opening experience.” - Dr. Linda Grace – Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, Inc.
Didn't get to hear Dr. Price at VMX or want to explore the role of women in change further? Check out her latest article Women Creating Change. Who is responsible for creating equality in the workplace? Is it up to individual women to stand up and create change? Are organizations responsible for effecting the desired outcome? Dr. Price shares her thoughts in this article.
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Ready to take your own Conscious Leadership to the next level? Read 5 Ways to be a Conscious Leader by Jennifer Cohen or Ready for Conscious Leadership? Make These 15 Commitments by Daniel J. Pesut. Both of these articles review the book The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Dethmer, Chapman and Warner-Klemp. Want to read the whole book? Win one from WILMAH! We'll pick a random winner from everyone who follows us on Linked In before our WVC event where we'll give away another copy as a door prize for one of our lucky attendees! See you there!
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Thank You To Our Diamond Sponsor Elanco!
Our corporate sponsors are critical to our efforts to bring events and content to our members. Their support allows us to do great things such as hire speakers, pay for webinars or host a networking event. We genuinely appreciate them and hope you'll help us share our thanks.
“At Elanco, we advance our vision of food and companionship enriching life by developing innovative solutions that protect and enhance animal health. Since 1954, Elanco has been working to empower veterinarians, food producers, and all those concerned with animal health with the tools needed to help animals live healthy lives. Our promise is to rigorously innovate to benefit our customers and improve the health of animals, creating value through products, expertise and service.” To learn more about Elanco click here. |
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Kristin Peck, Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Operations, Business Development and Strategy at Zoetis, was honored with the 2019 Feather in Her Cap Award for her significant achievements and contributions to animal health, and her work in developing future women leaders in our industry. Read the full story here.
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As a Diamond Sponsor Elanco enjoys many benefits including 50 complimentary memberships. If your company would like to learn more about the benefits of corporate sponsorship email us.
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Upcoming Events
February 18th
Join us for a networking event and panel discussion on Learning to Lead in Animal Health at the WVC on Monday, February 18th at 6:30pm in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Oceanside G Room. Look for more details in your inbox soon.
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March 8th
How will you mark International Women's Day this year? This year's theme encourages us all to strive for gender balance. Better the balance. Better the world. #BalanceforBetter. Send us an email with a picture of yourself striking the "balance" pose and showing your support for gender equality.
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