Women's Health Wednesday: Director at Astrazeneca Aarti Sawant Reflects on Rewarding Career Journey in Pharmacology

“Leadership is not about titles, its about positively impacting your teams’ goals and helping your organization/s bring out the best in yourself and others. Whenever opportunity arises, practice giving back.” Born and raised in Mumbai. today’s woman dreamer, Aarti Sawant, is a Director at Astrazeneca, and has extensive pharmacology experience, previously at Pfizer for 15 years. In her Women Who Win interview, Aarti reflects on her journey, including how her grandfather’s health challenges inspired her early interest in healthcare, essential leadership advice, the empowered women she admires, and her next big dream to start a non-profit organization for a rare subtype of Parkinson disease called PSP (Parasupranuclear palsy) in memory of her father. An inspiring woman to watch in healthcare, we are excited to share her story for Women’s Health Wednesday!

1. Tell us your story. Where did you grow up and how did you know you wanted to pursue a career in the healthcare and pharma industry? 

I was born and brought up in Mumbai (Bombay as we knew it, growing up) in a closely-knit family. As my mom and dad were working parents; I grew up with my maternal grandparents’ and mom’s sisters (6 of them!) during my early childhood. I was very attached to my grandfather and was very spoilt by him (being the first grandchild of the house!)

When I was in high school, my grandfather was diagnosed with throat cancer. This was in the early 90s when cancer was a death sentence in India. He went through chemo and radiation; I have a very distinct memory of how quickly his health deteriorated and he became frail. We lost him in 1994. That summer we had also lost my paternal aunt who was fighting her own battle with breast cancer. These were my early inspirations to pursue a career in research and healthcare, to make a difference to patients like my grandfather and my aunt. 

I completed my Bachelors and Masters in Sciences at University of Mumbai and post graduate diploma in foods and drug technology, from V.J.T.I college of engineering. After my studies I had two choices: either to work in India OR to pursue my career in the US. Unfortunately research and technology opportunities in India were not prevalent then. At that time pharma in India was focused on generics). I decided to pursue my studies abroad and my parents couldn’t have been more supportive for me. In 2001, I got admitted to doctorate program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), department of chemistry (This is where I met my spouse). Eventually, I transferred to UIC College of Pharmacy to pursue a doctorate in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. I completed my Doctorate in 2006 and joined Pfizer laboratories in Groton, CT.

2. You are currently a Director at AstraZeneca, and were at Pfizer before that.  How would you describe your leadership style? What is your advice to young women and professionals pursuing leadership roles? 

I started my industry career at Pfizer in 2006 as a Senior Scientist, working in neuroscience. Over the years I have grown technically as a scientist and in my leadership skills, people skills. After a fulfilling 15 years of my time at Pfizer, I joined AstraZeneca in the Spring of 2022 to support their oncology programs (life had come a full circle). My fulfilling journey in healthcare continues at AZ. 

I lead through influence, support, mentorship, and outcomes. Good leaders in my view build strong and accountable teams and let the teams do their job……. course-correct as needed and guide their teams to stay focused on outcomes.

My advice to young women seeking leadership roles is to always believe in yourself, do your job, and do it well! Leadership is not about titles, its about positively impacting your teams’ goals and helping your organization/s bring out the best in yourself and others. Whenever opportunity arises, practice giving back. Today’s generation is blessed to have professional social media platforms, with information at their tips. Use it constructively.

During my early career, I was fortunate to have mentors. I am a proponent of mentorship especially for early career individuals who are trying to figure out what they really want out of their career, their jobs, where would they like to see themselves 5 or 10 years from now? 

3. What excites you most about the work you do in pharma and healthcare? 

In my role, I use the concepts of quantitative pharmacology to design and justify the right (what we call as the optimal) dose. The idea of working close to patients’, understanding their journeys during this process, integrating the technical aspects with these nuances and the thought of benefitting people, our patients is exciting to me.   

4. Is there an empowered woman in your life that you really admire? Tell us more! 

My greatest admiration and who always empowered me to be independent, was my mother. (We lost her in 2014 to cancer). She was the oldest daughter of the family and nothing less than a parent to her 6 sisters, always helping her mom and dad in decision-making, selfless, strong, courageous, thoughtful, kind (but also tough at times), and most importantly righteous. Everyone relied on her judgment, never a doubt that she meant well for all. Growing up I saw her leadership in keeping the family together. She always empowered me, motivated me to follow my heart, to be independent, and to always do the right thing! 

Beyond my mom, I have been inspired over the years by many other women in my life, my aunts, my mentors. These days, in my own microcosm of healthcare, it's very inspiring to see the leadership of women like Susan Galbraith and Reshma Kewalramani. Women in today’s era are blessed to see possibilities that could be achieved thanks to successful leaders like Indra Nooyi, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Jacinda Ardern, Sudha Murthy, Michelle Obama, and Malala Yousafzai. 

5. How do you find a work-life balance? What do you like to do outside of work to relax and unwind? 

This is a tough one and has evolved over time. In my early days, I didn’t have much of a work-life balance. I remember starting my new job and working weekends; there was so much to learn, to absorb coming from a student life to industry. When my girls were little, I had to ease it a bit, let opportunities pass. Over the years I have learnt that work will always be plentiful, we must be efficient and prioritize. 

What really helps me maintain my work-life balance is the quality time I spend with my family especially during our travel (we love traveling) and my love for Indian classical dance. For the latter, I am thankful to Triveni School of Dance and my Guruji Smt. Neena Gulati. I look forward to my weekly meditation through dance during our weekend lessons under her mentorship. 

Outside of that I try to stay connected within my societies and my community through volunteering work. For example, I am running for the Board of Health for my town and really looking forward to the service.

6. As we are the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream? 

I would like to open a non-profit organization to bring patients and researchers together for a rare subtype of Parkinson disease called PSP (Parasupranuclear palsy). It will be in memory of my father. It is a debilitating disease with no cure. I would like to gather forces to create awareness and advocacy for this disease and hope for a treatment on the horizon.