Speaker
Rob Kowalksi
Chief People and Organization Officer
at
Novartis
As Chief People & Organization (P&O) Officer of Novartis, Rob Kowalski leads the company’s strategy to unleash the power of its more than 100,000 employees to support its long-term priorities and purpose.
Rob took on his current role in 2021. He leads the P&O function at a time when the global pandemic continues to reshape the global working environment and Novartis is accelerating the adoption of new working models for employees to optimize both personal and business performance.
I am a firm believer in the Novartis culture, which aims to inspire employees, stimulate their curiosity and promote an unbossed style of leadership. Through transforming our culture, we aim to provide more value for employees and generate a source of long-term competitive advantage, while ensuring we continue to innovate for patients.
Rob is passionate about creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment where all employees can fully apply their talents and energies. He is responsible for delivering on the company’s pledge to the United Nations (UN) Equal Pay International Coalition to achieve gender balance in management and further improve pay equity and transparency processes by 2023.
Rob has held a range of other senior leadership roles at Novartis, and is known for his skill in building and leading diverse organizations. In his previous role as Global Head of Regulatory Affairs, he led an organization that has delivered a dozen new molecular entity approvals in the three years through 2020.
Rob holds a doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US.
Moderator
Lynn LaPierre
consultant and leader
at
Spencer Stuart’s Global Biopharma Practice
Lynn LaPierre is a New York-based consultant and leader of Spencer Stuart’s Global Biopharma Practice. Lynn has more than 20 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical services industries as a researcher, attorney, and
commercial leader. Lynn works on searches for boards, and commercial, corporate development, and medical affairs leadership for clients ranging from global corporations to fast-growing companies.
Extensive experience in pharma and pharma services settings
» Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, Lynn served as executive director for another global executive search firm.
» Lynn also led the global life sciences practice at Axiom, a technology-enabled professional services company serving Fortune 1000 clients.
» Before that, Lynn was a product liability litigator and then served as senior counsel at Catalent Pharma Solutions.
» Lynn also spent time as a cognitive neuroscience researcher at both the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Harvard Medical
School studying breast cancer genetics and the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
Lynn has a bachelor’s degree in business from Cornell University, a master’s degree in neuropsychology from Columbia University and a juris doctor from Boston College where she was an Albert Schweitzer Fellow.