8 March 2025 – International Women’s Day

In recognition of International Women’s Day 2025, we would like to celebrate some of the women that we have the experience of collaborating with every day and at the same time remember that more still needs to be done for ALL women and girls:

Rights. Equality. Empowerment.

Lorraine Scallon, Supply Chain and Programmes Manager at FlexMedical Solutions (FMS) shared a bit about her time in life sciences:

“I am a firm believer in working hard and being treated fairly. I was brought up to appreciate the importance of listening to other people and their views and to cherish the things in life that often get taken for granted such as nature, health, and family.

I have spent my entire career in the science / development industry and enjoyed a variety of roles with different employers. Reflecting now of my time in the laboratory, I wasn’t particularly aware of women and men being treated differently, it was only when I assumed a management role that I started to observe and experience this. I began to experience occasions where leaders or senior team members would marginalise my contribution even when I was the subject matter expert (SME). It struck me as odd at that time, but was not something I challenged.

I was fortunate to work with and learn from one particular boss, who as an effective leader, changed my outlook completely. She educated me and empowered me to take charge, to speak out effectively, when to push back, and to make sure my voice was heard. In an industry that can often be male-dominated, she gave me awareness and taught me how to be an effective communicator. I will always be grateful for the time she took to acknowledge what I was experiencing and to support me in moving past it. I still leverage that shared experience today.

My daughter’s birthday is on International Women’s Day; so it is something we’ve always talked about and I have that extra bit of awareness around. I work hard to empower my daughter with the mindset that working hard is important, however, there should be no difference in the way people are treated because of gender or any other characteristic.

I do believe there have been significant advances in eradicating the differences in how women and men are treated in the workplace, which is encouraging. I hope this continues.

I read something recently that hit home quite a lot, as I believe it is our experiences that build us – ‘A strong woman knows she has strength enough for the journey, but a woman of strength knows it is in the journey where she will become strong’ (Luke Easter).“

At FMS, and across our clients, we are lucky to work with many competent, professional women who are (amongst other things) excelling as Chief Executive Officers, Chief Scientific Officers, Chief Operating Officers, and Chief Commercial Officers.  These women are making things happen as entrepreneurs, inventors, and leaders – shifting boundaries in diagnostics and health monitoring and making paths for those already established in their chosen career path, newer entrants, and those yet to embark on their journeys.

Within FMS we benefit from the efforts of a great group of smart women operating as key collaborators, enablers, and functional leaders. In anticipation of International Women’s Day, we take the opportunity to thank them for their contribution to driving equality for all, customer outcomes, and creating FMS’ purpose-driven culture.

We look forward to what’s next for this talented group. This is not the time for incremental change – it is the time for transformation.

At FMS we act intentionally every day to deliver better outcomes for the whole community.