New York City, May 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthcare and life sciences leaders known for advancing gender parity in their work place were honored yesterday at the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) Woman of the Year event in New York City. The 2019 Woman of the Year, Honorable Mentor and STAR, along with 116 Rising Stars and Luminaries were recognized for their industry contributions at a gathering of more than 2,000 attendees. Celebrating 30 years of award recipients, the HBA also honored past winners—totaling nearly 1,600 individuals—for their impact on healthcare and work place equality issues.
Sharon Callahan, CEO, TBWA\WorldHealth, and chief client officer, Omnicom Health Group, was honored with the 2019 HBA Woman of the Year award. With a healthcare marketing career spanning more than 30 years, Callahan is an influential and inspirational leader who has advocated for the rights of women and gender parity both personally and professionally.
In the workplace, Callahan has played an instrumental role in championing diversity and inclusion. Working across Omnicom, the parent company of TBWA\WorldHealth, Callahan is a founding board member of both Omniwomen, which aims to increase the number of women in leadership positions, and OPEN Pride, which fosters an inclusive and engaging work environment for Omnicom’s LGBTQ community and its allies.
Her support for the advancement of women is evident within TBWA\WorldHealth, with nearly 60 percent of senior leadership roles held by women. As she shared from the stage, her inspiration comes not only from success, but learning from failures that inspired her to realize what is possible, “When you live in possibility, you can create anything—because infinite choices become available to you.”
Callahan leveraged her leadership skills to support HBA’s mission to advance the influence and impact of women in healthcare. She served as global board president in 1997, on the HBA New York/New Jersey region’s advisory board and was recognized as the STAR honoree in 2006 for her impactful contributions as a passionate HBA volunteer.
At this annual event, the HBA also honored Peter Anastasiou, executive vice president, head of North America, Lundbeck, with the 2019 HBA Honorable Mentor award. Anastasiou is a well-known mentor to women and a leader who promotes and supports gender parity throughout his organization.
At Lundbeck, he has been instrumental in increasing female representation on the North American leadership team and promoting women across the organization, with women now in 54 percent of vice president and above roles.
The Strategic Transformation Achievement Recognition (STAR) was presented to Taren Grom, co-founder and editor-in-chief, PharmaVOICE magazine. For more than a decade, Grom has been a dedicated HBA volunteer serving on the global board of directors, and on multiple committees, including those responsible for the Annual Conference, Woman of the Year event, the Gender Parity Collaborative and the Executive Women’s Forum.
The award event paid tribute to 71 Rising Stars and 45 Luminaries. Representing various industry segments from the healthcare and life sciences industry, these women were nominated by their HBA corporate partner companies and recognized for their commitment to excellence in the workplace, and their impact as role models and inspiration to other women.
The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) is a global not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the advancement and impact of women in the business of healthcare. With more than 50 locations throughout the United States, Europe and Canada, the HBA serves a community of nearly 50,000 individuals and more than 140 corporate partners. The HBA provides networking forums; access to industry thought leaders; educational programs to develop leadership skills and global recognition of outstanding individuals and companies advancing gender parity in the workplace.
For more information about HBA’s Woman of the Year, Honorable Mentor, STAR and other award programs, visit HBAnet.org/awards.
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