The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) has coined its own terms for inspiring leaders who contribute mightily to their organization’s success: Luminaries and Rising Stars.
Luminaries are senior leaders who mentor and sponsor others while also demonstrating exemplary leadership qualities. Rising Stars are professionals in the early to mid-stage of their careers who make valuable contributions to their companies’ success, inspire others and assist those in subordinate or peer positions.
This year, CSL’s HBA Luminary is Karen Netherton, Vice President, Head of Global Quality for CSL Seqirus, which develops and manufactures vaccines. Its HBA Rising Star is Caitlyn DeLong, Manufacturing Process Owner for CSL Behring, another business unit of CSL, which makes medicines for people who have rare and serious diseases.
The Luminary award recognizes Netherton’s dedication to public health, mentorship and her role in driving the development of a quality function across all manufacturing sites within the CSL Seqirus business unit.
“To fully embrace transformation, you need to continue to ask ‘why?’” Netherton said. “Things around us are continually moving and changing and unless we move and change, we’ll get left behind.”
Leaders must challenge the status quo while also being approachable and creating an open culture that invites others to do the same, she said.
“That way we get the full benefit of the diversity of thought and ideas across our organization,” Netherton said.
DeLong, this year’s Rising Star, was honored for the way she helps her team achieve success at CSL Behring’s manufacturing site in Kankakee, Illinois. She has created efficiencies and keeps the team focused on maintaining a safe and reliable supply of medicines for the patients who need them. She says she adopted a continuous improvement mindset and strives to deliver superior performance.
“The continuous improvement mindset is continuing to identify opportunities and being open to change,” DeLong said. “In the biotech industry, we are ever-growing – more and more patients rely on us every day. Because of this, we are always looking for ways to improve product quality, reliability and safety. I have found that a reminder of the ‘why’ we do what we do every day makes the biggest impact.”
