- Doina Ionescu, Merck UK CEO
- Focused on Gender Equality
- Support for Fertility Treatment
Doina Ionescu is one of only two female CEOs of significant pharmaceutical companies in Britain, which is an accomplishment in itself.
She leads the German healthcare giant Merck in the United Kingdom and Ireland and is one of the prominent women in the industry, along with Emma Walmsley, the CEO of GSK.
Because she grew up in Romania in the 1970s and 1980s, her accomplishments are all the more impressive.
Her adolescence was spent under the oppressive communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who was executed on Christmas Day, 1989, along with his wife.
As a gifted young physicist, Ionescu was initially drawn to nuclear physics. Then, following the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, she had a Damascene conversion on atomic energy..
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In 1998, her father and a number of other males in her village, which was approximately 500 kilometres from the disaster site, died prematurely of cancer.
My father requested me to give up nuclear physics on his deathbed. I believe, as he did, that radiation from the Chernobyl disaster contributed to his cancer.
In the same year she received her PhD, she joined Merck in the United Kingdom.
Three years ago, the young woman from behind the Iron Curtain rose to the position of managing director after beginning her career as a research scientist. When my father passed away, I knew I wanted to work for a health company that gives people opportunities and hope. In a Communist nation at the time, treatments were limited. My father had no options or opportunities.
In addition to other oncology treatments, she is pleased that Merck is developing a product for pulmonary cancer, which her father suffered from.
We focus on niche malignancies that large corporations avoid.
On the subject of cancer, the focus has shifted from prolonging life to discovering cures.
‘It demonstrates the progression of humanity. Because of my personal experience, I hope Merck will participate in the development of a cure.
Her personal experiences influenced Merck’s approach to fertility treatment. Since 1906, the company has been a pioneer in its field, and more than five million infants have been born using its products.
Ionescu is about to launch a programme that will provide financial support for fertility treatment for male and female British employees and their partners.
This includes costly and emotionally exhausting fertility tests, in-vitro fertilisation, and hormone therapy.
It could make a significant difference for personnel who struggle with the financial aspect of treatment. According to a recent survey conducted by Fertility Network UK, 63% of individuals who underwent therapy paid for all or a portion of the costs out of pocket.
The average spent was £13,750, but 12 per cent of individuals had to find more than £30,000 and a few spent more than £100,000.
Ionescu states that Merck is in a position to assist with a portion of society’s challenges. What is more essential than having a child, if you desire one?
“I have firsthand knowledge. And I have one daughter, but I would have wanted to be younger and have more children when I gave birth.
“I am encouraging my 22-year-old daughter to store her eggs before the age of 25.” The age of the embryos is extremely important. I informed her that I would pay for their preservation prior to the age of 25. It is quite expensive.’
Would she recommend that to a young woman?
‘Yes. Young males require education just as much as young women do. This generation is significantly more conscious than I was in my twenties.
We were so motivated by professional success. I delayed having a child until I was in my forties, after which I struggled somewhat.
In my twenties, I desired a vocation but did not wish to have a child – the two were incompatible.
I did have a career and a family, but was there a price to pay? Yes. Did I have any remorse? Yes, and they are primarily about missing out on so many precious moments with my daughter.
When she attended secondary school or a sporting event, I was absent the majority of the time. Yes, I do have some misgivings. She has however paved the way for women at Merck, the world’s oldest pharmaceuticals company, founded in Darmstadt, Germany in 1668 by Friedrich Jacob Merck.
When Ionescu joined the company in 1998, she was the only woman in the UK participating in the leadership programme. She states, “I came from a communist country where gender equality existed.”
Was there thus greater equality in Romania?
In Romania, the state provided infant care, and families were close, she affirms.
‘But I have seen a lot of progress in the previous 25 years. The pharmaceutical industry is dominated by women.
Initially, I was the only woman on our leadership team, which is now comprised of 56% women.
She acknowledges that not enough women pursue science, mathematics, engineering, and technology, and she would like to change that. She states, “Studying science gives you a solid foundation in life.”
During the First World War, the United States division of Merck was separated and is now a separate company. The German company’s shares are publicly traded, although the family still controls 70 percent of them.
According to Ionescu, the United Kingdom is a “strategic market” for the corporation, which has 64,000 employees worldwide and had global sales of over €22 billion in 2022.
It employs approximately 1,800 people across 12 sites in the United Kingdom, including for research and development and manufacturing.
Ionescu asserts that the United Kingdom is well-positioned to be a leader in life sciences. “We have an excellent educational system and excellent businesses. There are no prerequisites missing.
“Great Britain has a rich history. I found the Queen to be an inspiring figure due to her consistency. And David Bowie, because he was so unique and never perceived any limitations.’
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In addition to her position at Merck, she serves on the board of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, where she encourages more women and girls to enter the industry.
She contends that despite the pessimism of some Remainers, the UK pharmaceuticals industry will thrive after Brexit. There is Project Orbis. This is one of the advantages of the Brexit, she explains.
Orbis is a programme undertaken by the MHRA post-Brexit to expedite access to cancer treatments, and is coordinated by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States.
Other non-EU countries, including Australia, Canada, Switzerland, and Israel, are also involved. A number of products have been authorised by the programme.
Ionescu states, “The United Kingdom is a cradle of science and healthcare; we simply need to maintain the momentum.” “This is the place to be from a scientific standpoint. When you come from a communist nation, you realise what a wonderful nation it is.
