Korea Biomedical Review is publishing a series of interview articles highlighting the most influential female executives in the Korean biotech and biopharma industry. This is the second installment. -- Ed.

Inspired by her dad who was a doctor, the International Vaccine Institute’s (IVI) seasoned vaccine and epidemiology expert, Dr. Anh Wartel, said she always knew she wanted to be a doctor.

“As a physician, you have a very direct connection with the patient but when it comes to vaccines, you still have this connection with subjects but on a wider scale at the population level,” said Dr. Wartel.

She discovered the field of vaccines while taking care of HIV-infected patients where she was exposed to clinical research for HIV therapeutic vaccines to interrupt the burden of frequent antiviral drugs.

Dr. Wartel now serves as IVI’s Deputy Director General and recently added another position to her portfolio in January as head of IVI’s European Regional Office in Stockholm, Sweden.

In an interview with Korea Biomedical Review, Dr. Wartel revealed, “My leadership style might be a bit unconventional but I believe that women don’t always need to be in the driver’s seat to lead and can influence change simply by asserting their actions.”

Managing IVI’s European Office

Wartel is Vietnamese-born but attended medical school in Paris and soon after joined a French research institute as the co-investigator for therapeutic HIV vaccines. Subsequently, she moved to Asia where she assumed several clinical development roles with Sanofi before joining IVI in 2018.

“Right now, I'm based in Stockholm as part of IVI’s strategy to have a second office to expand our global footprint and visibility,” Wartel said

Operating in Europe is important for IVI because the institute is a grant-oriented organization -- 80 percent of its funding comes from grants.

As such, she said she is actively expanding IVI’s funding and operation to help more countries and people in need because it is now eligible to receive funding from the European Union (EU) commission.

She also shared that her main goals this year are to appropriately staff the office, implement new funding projects, and ensure that the overall European strategy is aligned with the strategic plan in IVI’s headquarters in Korea.

On this note, she mentioned that she will soon be joined by two senior research scientists who also happen to be women, although this was not intentional.

While her day-to-day still includes some research activities, she said is currently occupied by her meetings with donors, research institute scientists, embassy representatives, and a range of other stakeholders to introduce and promote IVI’s mission and activities.

With the European-based office, IVI can develop better relationships with African stakeholders based in Sweden, Wartel noted.

IVI also attends regular meetings with GAVI and WHO, and this office helps ease the “time difference burden which can sometimes be extreme.”

Consequently, IVI operates similarly to the World Health Organization (WHO) with its headquarters based in Korea, a European office in Sweden, a country office in Austria, and collaboration centers in Ghana, Madagascar, and Ethiopia to support local scientists in conducting clinical and epidemiological research.

‘IVI pays attention to gender balance’

Dr. Wartel’s sheer presence on IVI’s executive team stands out, as the only woman surrounded by men on IVI’s executive leadership team.

“I'm happy to be part of the leadership team at IVI regardless of gender, it's really a recognition of my expertise and work,” but at the same time, Wartel acknowledged, “IVI is also paying attention to the gender balance to try to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”

She picked Christine Lagarde, the first female president of the European Central Bank (ECB), as her role model.

Referencing a speech from Lagarde, Wartel highlighted the three Ls -- learning, labor, and leadership -- as critical qualities for female leaders. Learning is both an elevator and a springboard allowing people to elevate themselves and break down the shackles of exclusion, she said.

Regarding labor, she asserted that women need to be allowed to achieve their true potential in the world while being mindful of gender inequalities in the workplace, which IVI is also striving to achieve.

“We are well aware that the higher you climb, the fewer women you see,” said Wartel, describing the last L for leadership. “This is because women are more inclined to make decisions based on conscientiousness and compassion, and tend to focus on long-term sustainability, but what holds women back is confidence, not competency.”

She highlighted this hesitation to assume senior positions within organizations as one of the women’s weaknesses. At the same time, she noted that women also have the priority to take care of the kids.

Wartel credited her successes in the industry to the support of her family saying that she was able to progress in her career path quite smoothly thanks to her husband and two sons.

“Family is your greatest asset!” she proclaimed. “I was lucky that they always listened to me and let me do what I'm really passionate about without having to choose between family and career.”

'Women can still lead from behind'

Interestingly, Dr. Wartel identified her most challenging and influential moment in the same breath.

“I was able to get involved in the critical stages of the vaccine development and learned a lot as I spent 15 years of my career developing a dengue vaccine.”

The vaccine was brought to licensure and launched for use but then there was a restriction in the vaccine’s indication because an issue with the safety profile was detected in post-marketing surveillance.

Accordingly, she stressed the importance of continuous pharmacovigilance to generate additional data post-licensure to evaluate the vaccine in a real-life setting and ensure it does no harm.

Switching gears to discuss her leadership style, Dr. Wartel explained that women can lead from behind.

“You can still influence decisions by being humble and practicing leadership from behind,” said Wartel. “Especially in the vaccine industry, you need to be humble because vaccine development can be a long and bumpy road.”

She went on to say that many people in Korea are highly qualified so it’s very difficult to compete in such an environment.

Still, she asserted, “Being in the limelight is not a necessity to lead as many women achieve amazing results by working quietly behind the scenes.”

Dr. Wartel alluded to the Covid-19 pandemic which demonstrated the huge need for vaccines not only in developing countries but also in developed countries.

Especially now, there are several initiatives surrounding biomanufacturing training hubs and technology transfer of technology for developing countries so I see lots of opportunities for women to get involved in the bioindustry and have a very rewarding career, she added.

“There's now a higher awareness acknowledging women leading an organization whether it's a small or large organization so we are getting there,” she said optimistically.

Reflecting on her career experiences, she offered some words of wisdom to those wanting to pursue leadership roles within the industry saying, “I think if you are driven by your confidence, kindness, and passion, your career will also naturally progress.”