On September 24th, the Waterloo School of Pharmacy held their second Women in Pharmacy Leadership (WIPL) panel event and networking lunch. Female entrepreneurs spoke about their role as business owners in the pharmacy world and encouraged women to take on leadership roles. There were over 100 attendees, from alumni who graduated as early as 2011 to current students, both virtually and in person.
The opportunity to meet and personally connect with so many other strong female leaders in the pharmacy world was so uplifting. It's events like this that encourage me to keep striving for my ambitions and empower me to continue pushing the limits of the profession.
Andrea Edgington, Hallman Director, sat down with panel speakers, from rich backgrounds and experiences, by way of hybrid panel to speak about their firsthand experiences running and owning pharmacy businesses.
Panel speakers included: Rui Su (Rx2018), pharmacist turned entrepreneur, the co-owner of MedMe Health, Pavithra Ravi, a practicing pharmacist who runs a health-care consulting firm, is a product director at Manulife and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Waterloo and Angela Puim (Rx2011), the co-owner of Preston Medical Pharmacy and clinical pharmacist at the Two Rivers Family Health Team.
“The diversity of my network is something I really appreciate. Having different perspectives is invaluable to me and maintaining those relationships is very important,” says Ravi.
They answered questions about negotiations, personal and professional challenges, not selling yourself short, utilizing change, facing imposter syndrome and being confident in both your abilities and knowledge in your field.
“Hearing all the female business owners speak about their ventures, the adversity they faced, the successes they had, but most importantly their continual dedication to advancing the profession was inspiring to say the least,” says Dao.
Prior to the event mentees were asked to define what they were looking to learn from the program, many mentioned business and financial advice. In response, Waterloo Pharmacy hosted our sponsors at Scotiabank who gave their presentation called Women in Pharmacy, Planning for your Success.
Scotiabank staff shared tips on protecting your business and making smart financial choices. We hope to help mentees achieve goals they set for themselves through the help of mentors, to build leadership capacity and to help put women in decision making positions, says Andrea Edgington, Hallman Director.
Many thanks to participants, hosts, speakers, mentors and the many donors who make the WIPL program possible. We are also grateful to our event sponsors: OnPharm-United, McKesson Canada, Scotiabank and Green Shield Canada.
Thank you to everyone who attended, both virtually and in person. Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming events.