Key Takeaways

• Discover how career ambitions naturally evolve through different life experiences and learn to embrace pivots as opportunities for growth rather than setbacks.
• Learn to position career gaps as strengths by highlighting the unique skills, perspectives, and resilience gained during periods of parental leave or family-focused time.
• Understand the importance of transparent communication with managers about family needs, and how consistent performance creates flexibility for personal commitments.
• Explore strategies for overcoming the parenting penalty by focusing on delivery and results whilst maintaining open dialogue about professional aspirations and availability.
• Gain practical approaches to building your support network including leveraging other parents, family members, and workplace flexibility to manage emergencies and daily challenges.
• Take away Charlotte’s insight on demonstrating the balance between profession and family, showing children that career fulfilment enhances rather than competes with parenting.
• Apply Ulrike’s framework for leadership equity by creating environments where parenthood doesn’t determine workload distribution and all team members have equal growth opportunities.
• Uncover Julie’s approach to contextual authenticity – being transparent about family responsibilities when relevant, while maintaining professional focus in business-critical situations.
• Identify how to advocate for systemic change by normalising parental leave for all genders and creating part-time leadership opportunities in life sciences organisations.

Snippets

• “I block the bus stop every morning for my kids. It doesn’t mean I make it every morning, but it’s always blocked on my calendar” (2025, Julie Pentz)
• “I actually took my daughter on a business trip, and during the day she was with the daughter of one of my colleagues” (2025, Charlotte Maisonneuve-Serra)
• “Encourage men to go on parental leave. That’s for me, something that is very, very, common in Norway.” (2025, Ulrike Falk)

Timestamps & Topics

• 00:00 — Intro: Overview of Lift Up mission and today’s parenting and ambition focus
• 03:13 — Guest Introductions: Ulrike’s 25-year pharmaceutical journey from Pfizer to Boehringer Ingelheim
• 04:13 — Julie’s Background: Chemical engineering to Chief Procurement Officer at women’s health-focused Organon
• 05:40 — Charlotte’s Story: PhD scientist’s atypical career path across research, quality, and regulatory affairs
• 08:24 — Career Evolution: How ambitions change after becoming parents and major life transitions
• 16:20 — The Parenting Penalty: Workplace perceptions and assumptions about mothers in leadership
• 23:09 — Playing the Parent Card: When to be transparent about family responsibilities vs maintaining professional focus
• 28:21 — Career Gaps as Strengths: Positioning time away as valuable life experience and skill development
• 39:39 — Managing Daily Challenges: Practical strategies for sick children, emergencies, and building support networks
• 46:12 — Workplace Improvements: What pharmaceutical and biotech companies can do better to support working parents
• 49:03 — Advice to Younger Selves: Final wisdom from three senior life sciences executives

Resources

• Follow Ulrike Falk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulrike-falk-phd-62043b122/
• Follow Julie Pentz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-pentz/
• Follow Charlotte Maisonneuve-Serra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-maisonneuve-serra-phd-mba-0754531/
• Follow Louise Williams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearchretainedstaffingtalentsolutionsmanagingdirector/
• Join Lift Up: https://fraserdove.com/lift-up-women-life-sciences/
• Follow Lift Up: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/lift-up-women-in-life-sciences/

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Feedback?

Have questions or feedback about the broadcast, or want to feature as a guest? Email us at hello@liftup.fraserdove.com