Why Join the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association?

The question you may ask yourself, a colleague may ask you or maybe your boss before committing to sponsoring your membership. Either way, this question will find its way to you if you have the HBA on your radar even in the remotest of sense. It is important to know exactly why HBA is the right professional association for you and for that matter for everyone working in the healthcare sphere, so at HBA Europe we have penned down the top five reasons right here:

You are passionate about furthering the advancement and impact of women in your industry.
If this describes your thoughts and motivation, well then you are in luck because gender parity in the business of healthcare is the HBA’s core purpose. Diversity and gender parity are good for business in general and for healthcare in particular, so everyone in the healthcare business, men and women should be thinking of and acting on our untied mission in some sense. Joining in with a huge force for change that has thousands of others all over the world working in the same direction that you personally wish for the industry to move in, is probably reason enough for you to join!
The HBA has been consistently bringing gender parity on the agenda of industry leaders
This is not a big talk no show association. The HBA is actively and continuously partnering with leading corporations in the industry (150+ corporate partners and counting), as a result bringing their CEOs together (e.g. at the HBA Annual Conference or the Woman Of The Year event), ensuring that they have gender parity on their agendas now more than ever before. It even goes as far as creating the very standards that the industry will be judged by for its commitment to this vital change. A great example of this is the ACE Awards program (Advancement. Commitment. Engagement) which recognizes exemplary leadership initiatives that advance and enhance the careers of women promoting it further.
Gender parity is an urgent topic and HBA is catching the bull by its horns in realtime.
The HBA is fast to action with measurable results. We were quick to generate relevant and reliable data sets from our research partnerships with AON on the Gender Pay Gap Within European Healthcare report, with LeanIn and McKinsey on their Women in the Workplace Study. Additionally, best practice sharing is the norm here, and the Drug Information Association-HBA partnered Women’s Leadership Project is proof of exactly this. The association prides itself on providing the platform for sharing ways for organizations to realize the full potential of their female talent. Showing up and following through as a thought leader is a big part of having your finger on the pulse for the HBA. With the LeanIn partnership and eyeforpharma presence as prime examples, the HBA ensures it is visible, on the ground and in the driving seat for bringing the urgency required while addressing the gender parity topic at the forefront.
The HBA provides limitless opportunities for growing your network in the industry
With over 10,000 members globally and about 1,500 in Europe alone, you can rest assured you will have countless chances at connecting with likeminded people in the industry who are striving for the same cause as you - a much uniting force that only makes relationships richer! With the multiple, global, regional and local scale events that happen year-round for members, you will have no excuse for not expanding your network forming meaningful connections for your career or your business. And it doesn’t stop there, you can go on to take a more active part by volunteering in a subcommittee or taking up a more prominent role only enriching your network further – even in 2020 and in a virtual world
HBA develops people and advances careers
The HBA provides formidable opportunities to develop and advance through recognition, education, networking and mentoring. The HBA does not miss an opportunity to call out and credit women who are role models and men who are advocates for our joint cause whether it be through the WOTY award or the Honorable Mentor award. Another award targeted at bringing top talent to the forefront is the Rising Star award given annually to early and mid-career professions who go above and beyond in their organizations. As of August 2020, the HBA Europe Region has hosted 52 events, including 40 virtual events this year and many more are in the works. The main purpose is not just to promote gender parity topics and bring awareness to the cause but also to further educate our people, improving skills and knowledge of the industry at large. Having the right mentors and especially those from other companies is seen as a huge career boost and this is exactly one of HBA’s major offering: the mentorship program proudly boasts of 101 mentoring pairings (across the Europe Region). The HBA provides a vast resource for tools that can help enrich your career in the industry.