An Interview with the President

Have you met our President, Pam Stewart? Well, here’s your chance. Grab a coffee and settle in for a chat with our fearless leader.

First, a few nuts and bolts: Pam’s entire18-year career has been dedicated to the pharmaceutical industry. After earning a Bachelor of Kinesiology from McMaster University, she started her career at the Upjohn Company of Canada in 1992. Pam zeroed in on her true calling during an internal hospital training session with a product manager who was sharing new ad concepts, which the agency had just presented. It was then that she realized her passion for bringing brands to life through a tightly aligned strategic and creative process. So she made the leap into pharma advertising 13 years ago and has never looked back.

Pam is also entrepreneurial and had the opportunity to co-found her own boutique healthcare agency, along with two partners, which she lead successfully for four years. Pam is passionate, hard-working and enjoys being a “Working President”, actively engaging in our client business. Pam’s working model is also a great fit for Euro’s entrepreneurial culture and dynamic environment.  

Now, on to the questions:

What’s your key role here at our Canadian operation?

To provide leadership to ensure the health and growth of the business, and foster teamwork and trust to ensure that our strategic and creative product can deliver unified campaigns across all channels. Ultimately, this puts our clients one step ahead of their competition and gets them to the Future First. In order to do this, agencies need to have the right combination of complementary talent who trust each other, and believe in the same vision. We think we’ve got the right team in place.

What got you into pharma advertising?

When I was in University, I worked part-time in Hamilton at a doctor’s office filing patient lab reports, as well as Coroner's reports. I would often see well-dressed professional people coming in who obviously weren’t patients. I asked the doctor who I was working for who they were. He said "Pharmaceutical Sales Reps. They are well educated, well trained, well paid and I enjoy having them in my office. They bring me value, as well as my patients, and without samples, many of my patients would not be able to try new therapies." I decided this would be a great job to launch my working career when I finished University.

What are your 3 top priorities at work?

Work hard, work together and earn success.

What’s your #1 professional pet peeve?

At work I have two that are equally damaging to business: 1. Lack of professionalism. 2. Laziness.

What’s the highest compliment a client ever paid you?

The highest compliment any client can pay me is saying "I trust you." The majority of the clients I have worked with over the last 13 years have, at one point or another, expressed this sentiment in an unsolicited fashion. Trust is the foundation of any successful relationship. Without it, the business cannot prosper.

What’s your biggest mistake and how do you avoid repeating it?

One of the mistakes I’ve made, which I continuously try to avoid, is not listening to my instincts. Life and experience teaches you to become more comfortable in making decisions that feel right for you vs. feeling right for everyone else. Instincts can also be developed. The courageous part involves listening to them and taking appropriate action, which I have done in my professional career. They are a very important skill to have in business – and particularly so on the agency side of the business.

What do you love about pharma advertising?

I love the combination of art and science -- and the variety of work and challenges we face – there's never a dull moment for us and our clients. In my experience, people who adapt well to change do well in marketing and communications.

What do you love in a client?

I love clients who put their belief, passion and investment behind doing the "right" things for the business versus the "easy" things.

How do you get ideas?
It usually involves a combination of honing in on the one key barrier or opportunity in the marketplace, creative thinking, and marketing intuition. 

Which do you reach for first: newspaper, magazine or book?

Newspaper. I read the Globe every day. I tend to read two good books a year though; one during the Christmas holidays and another while on summer vacation.

What’s your favorite book?

"A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving. It's not that I love the story... it's the way John Irving tells the story. If you’ve read any of his books, you'll understand what I mean.

Who have you most admired in your career?

I most admire Dr. Bonita Porter. She was my family physician growing up but moved out of family practice to join industry with Ciba-Geigy as Medical Director. She held various posts in the Pharmaceutical Industry before becoming the Regional Coroner for Ontario, and has been a very positive mentor and role model for me. We keep in touch, and I trust her opinion on most everything.  She taught me that women can do anything in their chosen career if they work hard and follow both their instincts and aspirations.

Which is your favorite way to relax: golfing, shopping or dining?

It would absolutely be dining.

Who makes you laugh the hardest?

Definitely, Jim Carrey.

Have a question that’s not answered here? Share it below and we promise to post a reply!