Meet the maker: EPM talks to Alessandra Rispoli

Here, we talk work, life and pharma with Alessandra Rispoli who has been appointed to serve as senior director, Operations for West Pharmaceutical Services’ manufacturing site in Eschweiler, Germany.

1. Could you briefly describe yourself?

My name is Alessandra, I am a woman of Italian descent, with a lot of passion and heart. I consider myself very positive, and when it comes to business — very ambitious. I always strive for excellence, while maintaining a good outlook and try to make things fun when possible. I like to go with the flow and see where life’s circumstances take me. I read a lot about the field of psychology and anything that has to do with management and leadership. I love to be surrounded by people.

My friends say that I always see the glass as half full and not half empty.

2. Please describe your average day in five words.

I am always going!

3. At what point did you decide to be involved in the pharma market?

When I was very young, maybe 12 years old, a TV spot caught my attention. It was a commercial for a lifesaving pharmaceutical product. I wondered, ‘Who are the people behind these products?’; ‘Who makes such complex products — starting with research & development and then commercialising products capable of saving people’s lives?’ In that short moment, I decided that I would become a part of the pharma world someday.

4. What has been your biggest achievement?

I would like to describe my biggest achievement in an indirect way. As a leader, I always want to take care of my people. My biggest achievement is not a single success, but more the ongoing way that I strive to inspire people. It is my responsibility to nurture my team and ensure that they understand what they are doing, their daily contribution to the broader organisation, and stay committed to delivering quality products to the end-user — the patients themselves. When I recognise this passion in the eyes of my team, then I tell myself ‘that is your biggest achievement’.

5. What would you say is your worst trait?

I am not a very patient person. But as I am getting older, it seems things are changing. I am a little more likely to wait a few minutes.

6. What do you love about your job?

This job gives me the potential to help improve people’s lives. West is an organisation that contributes to a healthier world. The Company always takes care of the wellbeing of its own people and at the same time develops, manufactures and delivers high value products to benefit the lives of patients.

7. If anything, what would you change about your job?

My response does not specifically relate to my current assignment — as it is a new one for me. In general, I would like to improve business communication. I work hard to achieve a transparent communication style, to avoid misunderstandings and wasting people’s time. I appreciate a direct, simple, transparent, respectful and straightforward way of communication to reach common objectives. Life can be easy if you choose the right communication tools, the right words and tone. It’s critical that you avoid people having to read between the lines. I do not want to make assumption-based decisions. The picture needs to be clear.

8. If you weren’t in the pharma industry what job would you like to do?

I think I’d like police work, but in a proactive fashion rather than a reactive one. I like to prevent bad circumstances from happening. I like to rebuild situations, to understand why something happens, to understand the underlying route causes. This is the only way to improve the world and to avoid the same issues occurring all over again.

9. What challenges do you foresee being important over the next 10 years?

As a leading supplier in containment and delivery systems for the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, we are committed to providing the best in quality products to satisfy and exceed customers’ needs. A big part of fulfilling our obligations includes delivering our products on time. We look forward to delivering more value to the customers by working to continuously improve our processes and serve as an integral part of the value chain.

For example, our generic customers need to file drug applications quickly, as well as respond to unforeseen market demand. In addition, the industry quality expectations are higher than ever before. West’s Acceltra Components Program is designed to offer market leading delivery times and a single next generation formulation for stoppers. It’s just one example of how West is working to anticipate and exceed the needs of our customers, which I believe is critical to serving as a leader in the industry.

10. In your opinion, what will offer the biggest opportunities in the future?

The biggest opportunity is quickly developing and launching new products to offer the best, innovative solutions that completely meet the evolving needs of our customers. We need to anticipate the needs of the customers, remain mindful about costs, and adhere to all compliance and regulatory requirements regarding the cleanliness and safety of drug products.

In addition, West needs to proceed with the excellent strategic initiatives already in place, and move forward with activities that demonstrate the potential for growth. We need to continuously design new packaging solutions and enhance current products to ensure we are working together with our customers to guarantee the safe, reliable delivery of medicines to patients.