A Purposeful Leader | Georgia Sloboda

Georgia Sloboda

Managing Director

Georgia Sloboda believes that, in her experience, trust and transparency are two essential qualities for leaders. Why? Because these are some of the qualities that describe a leader whose goal is to influence colleagues and build high-performing teams within an organization. “I value the opportunities and experience that has culminated over the last 35+ years in the industry, and the excitement I share to collaborate, develop, guide, and grow teams and individuals continues to be important and a passion of mine.”

Having led hundreds of personnel throughout her nearly four decades of experience, Georgia is not a stranger to building high-performing teams who have assisted organizations in meeting strategic objectives. She knows the inside-out of mentoring and influencing every team member and helping shape them into tomorrow’s leaders. Also, embracing diversity and a diverse working team benefits the organizational development of associates and the organization’s growth across every level,” she says.

Georgia is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders.

When she is not working on her contributions to the Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Industry, she can be found coaching, mentoring, and working with young people, the industry’s future, looking for career guidance.. It is gratifying for Georgia to witness and work with those she guided to become successful leaders. Georgia has not done this alone; she has partnered with individuals with broad influence and experts who have established careers and are considered experts in their field.

A terrific example is her friendship and partnership with Dr. Nate Zinsser. Dr. Zinsser is an expert in the psychology of human performance who is an award-winning author, speaker, columnist, and the former Director of the Performance and Psychology Program at the United States Military Academy at West Point. An introduction and meeting with Dr. Zinsser set the stage for the collaboration and workshop at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where Georgia held the position of Sr. Director, Global Quality Systems for the organization. The timing of the workshop was vital as the entire Global team was embarking on a companywide integration and driving the organization’s strategic initiatives. “Our team was going through tremendous change, and it was clear to me that Dr. Zinsser would provide an opportunity to help focus our team and leaders on maximizing the capabilities within the organization. It was perfect timing and a tremendous fit to have the opportunity to introduce Dr. Zinsser to the team and collaborate through a full-day workshop to invigorate, engage, and motivate the group. To say it was successful is an understatement, and Georgia still gets feedback today that it was an “awe-inspiring session.” Fast forward from the workshop in 2019 through to today, Georgia has introduced Dr. Zinsser’s work to her colleagues throughout the industry, and most recently, Georgia has shared copies of Dr. Zinsser’s newly published book: “The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance to her interns, upcoming graduates, and colleagues. “I value the relationships I have maintained throughout my career, especially the connectivity from the individuals I mentor as we stay connected. For Georgia, mentoring does not end when someone gets their dream job or creates a transformative solution but rather a long-term relationship that grows through the years and encourages others to take the baton forward and pass on what they have learned.

Describing Georgia Sloboda’s Experience

Armed with close to four decades of experience in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Industry with prominence in the vaccines and oncology arena, Georgia’s background comprises considerable experience in numerous technical, manufacturing, planning and quality roles within mid-size and large size organizations. Adding to that, the determination on a global scale to develop and implement systems and combine processes, programs, and people for some of the industry’s largest organizations has been a personal and professional accomplishment.

Today, she focuses on facilitating her clients to achieve business and strategic purposes for their individual organizations which includes all steps from early product development through to commercialization. Georgia values the opportunity work with so many industry experts outside and within the Latham Biopharm group. “LBG has an impressive depth of expertise, and it is truly a pleasure to collaborate with colleagues of this caliber. “In my opinion, our collective body of work is quite impressive.”

Georgia’s industry experience includes being Celgene’s Senior Director of Global Quality Systems, where she has overseen creating best-in-class solutions across the GxPs. She along with her partners, created the organization’s global plan and a portfolio of best-in-class solutions during her time there.

Prior to that role, she served as the Site Head of Audits and Compliance for Pfizer and has led several company integrations for Wyeth, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Making A Difference with Her Work

Georgia always found it compelling to surround herself with individuals with excellent leadership capabilities, which significantly influenced her maturity and leadership style. From her first role as a people manager, Georgia focused on optimizing the team’s skills to support the business objectives and developing the aids and abilities of her key associates within the organization.

This approach is vital for leading a highly engaged team and comes naturally to Georgia. She also had pivotal mentors who helped shape her career and leadership style. She received numerous opportunities to grow as a leader through her early supervisory roles in management-level positions. Georgia learned immensely from the diverse teams she has managed, and she continues on this path today to help develop colleagues whose aspirational goals are focused on a goal where they can make an impact in their area of expertise.

On closely observing her career trajectory, one can see that Georgia’s leadership style has evolved from a “directive style” to a more collaborative and influential approach today. “The greatest contribution to an individual’s style of leadership in my opinion evolves over a professional journey and the influence of company cultures that individuals work in,” explains Georgia. “I have learned much from the diverse group of individuals I have had the privilege to work with. Incorporating an environment to understand what is important to our colleagues and partners, create a system for feedback and incorporate a transparent timely communication style has contributed to my leadership style and something I follow today.”

For the future, Georgia wants to continue working towards achieving her goals, including but not limited to enhancing her ability to collaborate and reach out broadly to within industry and peers via various conferences, panels, and discussion forums sharing her input and perspectives in the best way possible.

The best way to portray Georgia in simple words is she is a self-made, authentic, cognizant, and optimistic leader who wants to mentor people using her industry knowledge into leaders of tomorrow.

Being devoted to her industry of expertise, Georgia is one of the most respected leaders as the industry recognizes that she is willing to give her all to lead people toward the greater good. Her integrity, honesty, and character are reflected in every project she successfully completes or every person she mentors. “I am fortunate to continue my career in an industry I am passionate about, with colleagues I enjoy working with, and I look forward to continue collaboration in this dynamic, every changing environment and serving as a champion for our future leaders,” concludes Georgia.

"I have the pleasure of working with colleagues who have deep industry knowledge and impressive depth of expertise. It is a pleasure to collaborate with colleagues of this caliber and consider myself fortunate to be in this position at this time in my career."

"It is important to establish an environment of transparency, trust, and collaboration to drive the development of high-performing individuals and teams."

Georgia Sloboda

Managing Director

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