Today we’d like to introduce you to Mallory Lauth.
Hi Mallory, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Clinical trials, drug manufacturing, and regulatory guidelines are just a few things I never pictured in my adult life. I had aspirations of being a doctor. I was a small-town Indiana girl with little to no career guidance and big dreams. As the first person in my family to attend college, I sure did get a wake-up call. With the cost and the amount of time needed as a biology major, work, and a handful of life events, I realized quickly that an additional four years of medical school was not something I wanted to continue with. After graduation, I felt stuck. Honestly, I didn’t even know what career I could get with a biology degree. I began an internet search and found a position in a lab processing animal samples. This is where my story truly begins.
I fell in love with drug development and advancing my career. I have worked in large pharma, CROs, and biotech. I have been in project management for most of my career, including being a direct supervisor.
There is little to no support for women in the pharma, biotech, and clinical research industry. And we all know when women support women, amazing things happen! Put all of this together, and Linking Pharma Women was born. You know that quote, be the change you want to see? Well, that is what I am doing. I want to build a community to support women in the pharmaceutical industry, including roles in large pharma, biotechnology companies, and Contract Research Organizations (CROs). The focus of Linking Pharma Women is a community, mentorship, and professional growth.
In summary, I have figured out my purpose. My dream of being a doctor is not lost; it just showed up in a different form and maybe on a larger scale. Community and connection with my professional girl gang are icing on the cake!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been hectic. Before officially coming up with the name Linking Pharma Women, I explored names and ways to help “working women” for at least a year. I put so much focus on wanting to help every woman that it paralyzed me.
Summer of 2021, I had my AHA moment. I realized I needed to focus on women who work in the same industry as me, the industry that I know well, the industry where I have built a network, an industry that has a lot of growth and career advancement opportunities, and the industry that I love. After this moment, everything just fell into place. But this doesn’t mean it all of a sudden became easy. I launched a website the same week my mother-in-law’s unexpected passing and had the launch event a week later. The last 8 months have pushed me to learn all about business.
Now I am trying to book networking events across the United States, and events are highly costly. I am working with companies to obtain sponsorships, working toward launching virtual events and working toward launching a 1:1 mentorship program. I am still navigating growing and developing a small business alongside my full-time career, but it has been worth it!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Linking Pharma Women?
Linking Pharma Women is a platform to ignite female connections in the pharma, biotech, and CRO industry. Linking Pharma Women is a community for women with a role or affiliation in the pharmaceutical industry – a place to learn more about the industry as a whole, meet other ambitious women, get guidance on career advancement, find a mentor, or feel seen and supported.
Our mission is to inspire and connect industry women by sharing tips, tools, and guidance through networking and empowering one another. Our purpose is to support women as they navigate their professional journeys. Our goal is to build a community of industry-specific, like-minded women and provide support through mentoring, connecting, and investing in women at all career stages.
Linking Pharma Women is networking on another level with multiple ways for members to connect and collaborate through community, mentorship, and professional growth.
Community: Connect with other members based on role, location, or new roles/areas of the industry to explore.
Mentorship: 1:1 meaningful connections through personalized match experience based on competencies and expertise to reach career goals.
Professional Growth: Learn soft skills, interview tips, management skills, and various other skills to enhance professional growth.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
FEEDBACK, FEEDBACK, FEEDBACK!!! There have been many times that I was planning to do something one way, and it turns out the community wants it a bit different. For example, I was planning on having monthly virtual and in-person events. However, based on a survey I sent out, it turns out that most (if not all) of the women want quarterly events. If I did not create the survey to receive feedback, I would have spent a lot of time and money planning events (virtual and in-person) more than needed/wanted. I pushed back on obtaining feedback in the beginning. My husband was adamant that I get feedback based on a book he read, The Lean Start-Up. I decided to create a survey, and as of this interview, I have had almost 40 responses and let me tell you, that survey threw some curve balls, but most helpful! I cannot stress enough how important it is to be open to learning about what your customers/clients want! I am also learning that I cannot be on a team of 1 forever. But that is another challenge I will not dive into right now.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.linkingpharmawomen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linkingpharmawomen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/linkingpharmawomen/
Image Credits
Abby McGuire Jared Bundick Lindsay Perrin
