Nathalie Moll joined the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) as Director General in April 2017.
EFPIA represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Together with its direct membership 40 leading pharmaceutical companies, 33 national associations representing over 1,900 companies and in collaboration with health and research players, EFPIA’s mission is to create an environment that enables our members to innovate, discover, develop and deliver new therapies and vaccines for people across Europe, as well as contribute to the European economy.
Prior to joining EFPIA, between 2010 and 2017 Nathalie was the Secretary General of EuropaBio ranked as the most effective European Trade Association in Brussels in 2013. She spent over 20 years working for the biotech industry at EU and national level in associations and corporate positions and held the position of Chair and Vice Chair of the International Council of Biotech Associations (ICBA).
In 2013, Nathalie won the Technovisionaries Women Innovation Award organised by Women & Technologies® while in 2009, Nathalie and the Green Biotech Team of EuropaBio were presented with the Leadership and Excellence in Advancing Ag-Biotech and Food Issues Award. Nathalie was also named one of the 15 leading women in biotech in Europe in 2017.
Nathalie holds an Honours Degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from St Andrews University, Scotland.
Why do you invest your time & efforts in association work?
When I was young I wanted to be a scientist and discover a solution to world famine and the human suffering connected to it. Realising I was not Einstein, after university I discovered that I could contribute to that goal via association work by helping to create enabling environments for scientists who were leaders in their fields to succeed in their mission.
Associations play a key role in pro-actively shaping the environment in which a sector operates and can also contribute greatly to increasing the general understanding of a new trend, a new technology or a new sector. I love finding consensus among members and the power of putting many brains together to create positive change.
In associations you have access to unparalleled skills and a common drive to work together for a greater good. I find that inspiring. I also thrive on the feeling of building positive change together with other stakeholders.
What are the top three success factors of impactful association work?
- Associations must be representative of their members and proactive.
- They must be mindful, at all times, of what the policy environment their members operate in is and how it is evolving locally as well as globally.
- Associations need to be relevant.
What should we #ChooseToChallenge when it comes to association work?
I would like to #ChooseToChallenge the investment of associations in their workforce. I think that associations are unique environments where everyone’s skills can be put to use and developed further. I would love to see all associations have a strong focus on HR, individual annual objectives, assessments, development plans including training budgets.
This coupled with the capacity to adapt to our workforce’s needs, gives the best possible level of teamwork and, ultimately, results. By adaptation I mean that colleagues, whether men or women, may have moments in life when they prefer to work from home, have flexible hours or go part time. Successful associations and businesses have understood that it is not only about giving equal opportunities but also about offering adapted opportunities.
How is the association sector dealing with diversity and inclusion? Has it changed?
I think that as in all businesses, diversity and inclusion are key factors for success. I have specifically noticed that meetings that include men and women tend to focus on problem solving which is crucial at executive level.
When it comes to inclusion and diversity, association staff used to mirror the sector they represented. Recently, I have seen many define their own policies and objectives and consciously implement them, which I find exciting.