Stories and Viewpoints

Voices of Viatris

February 9, 2023

By: Timothy Goodenow

Spend a short amount of time with Pascaline Rehbach and you’ll quickly realize two things: First, she is motivated by a strong scientific curiosity. The second: multiple viewpoints matter in her decision making to drive progress and benefit the organization.

Pascaline admits to being interested in how things worked for most of her young adult life. That imagination continued with her studies, leading to a plethora of questions for her teachers. While studying pharmaceutical technology in college, her curiosity was sparked again by conducting a report on the technology and environment for manufacturing medicines.

For the past 22 years, Pascaline has put that degree to good use and relied primarily on some guiding principles to navigate the complex pharmaceutical industry.

Today, as a leader and Head of Technical Department at Viatris’ Troisdorf manufacturing facility in Germany, she is responsible for a group working in technical areas such as infrastructure, engineering, and operations support, in addition to responsibilities with the Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) team, working collectively across the site to produce high-quality trusted medicines in a safe and responsible manner.

Throughout her career, she has become a lifelong learner with a desire to acquire new skills and capabilities well past her formal education years. She dedicates time to studying new topics but also developing an open-minded, positive attitude with her colleagues.

“It’s important that we are a collaborative bunch, always communicating and asking questions, which allows us to solve one issue before a larger problem is created,” Pascaline said.

The rules of engagement matter: No idea is immediately shot down.

“I may ask them to explain it more. But my team has the freedom to add to a conversation, challenge an idea or voice their support for a proposed plan of action,” Pascaline explained. “At the end of the day, they mostly own the responsibility of completing these projects.”

One of the team’s recent projects involved implementing new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which play a crucial role in pharmaceutical engineering and manufacturing because they have a direct impact on the production environment.

While mechanical engineers on her team played a leading role, other types of engineers on her team contributed greatly to different areas of the project. The team had plenty of work to do: researching systems, coordinating project budgets, meeting with clients on installation timelines and retrofitting equipment to existing systems.

“It’s my goal as the leader of this department to create an atmosphere where employees want to learn, have the opportunity to contribute and feel like they are truly making a meaningful impact for the company,” Pascaline said.

Having women in leadership positions can help broaden and diversify an organization’s outlook and policies. Pascaline often seeks input from members of the company’s employee resource group for women, EmpoWer, where she is an active participant.

“It’s great to be part (of a group) that is building an inclusive community to discuss and create awareness around issues women face in the workplace,” said Pascaline. “I find it beneficial to hear multiple viewpoints and I often leave our meetings with a positive outlook on the dynamic nature of the world.”

Click here for more stories on Women in Science.