There is only one thing that Nathalie McNeil wants to know about future leaders. 

“The only question I ask them is, ‘Why do you want to lead people? What drives you? What motivates you?,” she said. 

It’s this relentless focus on purpose – on being able to pinpoint the why – that’s powered McNeil throughout her career. A pharmacist by training and a self-confessed “nerd” who loves maths and chemistry, she rose through the ranks of the healthcare sector to become one of the pharmaceutical industry’s most accomplished leaders. Today she is Vice President and General Manager at AbbVie, Australia and New Zealand. 

In an interview with FW Founder Helen McCabe on the FW Leadership Series podcast, McNeil spoke about what drives her as a leader to keep pushing forward, even in the most difficult times. 

Here are her top three takeaways. 

Your Achilles heel

Like many women, McNeil has been told she is too-something throughout her career. In her case, it’s too caring.

“I think all our strengths have a shadow,” she elaborated. “And I think this point on being too caring is a strength, but it’s also an Achilles heel.”

A self-described “natural extrovert” who described her leadership style as at times “excitable”, McNeil said the best piece of career feedback she received was to pay attention. 

“I just thought that was so gorgeous … particularly for extroverts because I think we’re misunderstood as not being good listeners,” she explained. “But I can tell you that [reading the room] is something I have really taken on board from very early in my career.”

Nathalie McNeil speaking at the FW Leadership Summit

A step up

One of the most difficult periods in McNeil’s career was the transition from being a technical specialist to a people manager. 

“I’m a scientist by background. I’m actually a pharmacist. I loved the sciences at school. I’m one of those nerds who loved her maths and her chemistry,” she said. 

In many ways, McNeil was in her happy place as a subject matter expert (SME). She had established her credentials as a pharmacist and found the transition to people management hard and messy at first. 

“When you’re a leader of people, you are responsible for how clear their goals are, … how they’re developing in their job, and how they’re performing for the team and the organisation,” she said. 

“All that kind of stuff is not what we learn as we build our technical mastery. So I remember it being a tougher period in my career,” she added. 

“But you do the work … It takes effort and it takes the mindset of having to almost unlearn [previous skills] and approach people leadership as a completely new job. You’ve got to build a whole new skill set. So your mindset matters.” 

Find your why

McNeil doesn’t hesitate to answer what keeps her up at night as a leader. 

“I am concerned about our [healthcare] system where Australians no longer get the world’s best medicines really quickly,” she said. “We used to, but now, unfortunately, we’re falling further and further behind compared to other comparable countries in the OECD rankings. And so Australians are missing out. 

“It worries me deeply for a rich nation like ours. Medical technology and medical innovations are coming thick and fast, which is a wonderful thing. It’s so exciting. But our systems haven’t kept pace.”

“It can be tough, it’s lonely – leadership is certainly not for the faint-hearted. But when you’re a purpose-driven leader, you know your values, you know what the non-negotiables are, it’s so much easier.”

McNeil’s fear is that Australia could soon find itself in a two-tiered system, where the wealthy have access to medicines that many cannot afford. 

“I know that no Australian believes in that,” she said. “I know our government doesn’t believe in that. I know our industry doesn’t believe in that. We want to maintain the amazing universal healthcare mindset that we’ve had for decades. But sadly I’m seeing that erode.”

This fear about the future of medicine access in Australia is what drives McNeil each day – in her career and as a leader. It’s her north star, and being able to pinpoint this purpose is also her source of resilience. 

“[As leaders,] the spotlight’s on, whether we like it or not, the spotlight is on us,” she said. 

“You’ve got to know who you are and why you’re doing what you’re doing, because that’s what keeps you going in the loneliest of moments and when the biggest critics are out,” she added. 

“It can be tough, it’s lonely – leadership is certainly not for the faint-hearted. But when you’re a purpose-driven leader, you know your values, you know what the non-negotiables are, it’s so much easier.”