Meet A WINner: Sebnem Erdol

We would like to introduce you to our member, TurkishWINner, Sebnem Erdol in our Pharma Circle. She certainly wins the prize to make distances not matter in our sisterhood. 

Sebnem is the Head of Market Access, Health Economics & Reimbursement ANZI in Australia and New Zealand. Her role is to enable patient access to clinically effective and cost-effective medical technologies to save and improve the quality of lives through funding and reimbursement applications using scientific data and evidence.

She works closely with the Department of Health and other decision-makers so that patients can receive these technologies through Government or private insurance funding and reimbursement.

Do not miss this chance to get to know Sebnem! 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Take time to know yourself and practice self-compassion.

One thing you wish you had known earlier in your career.

Networks are everything, even more important than talent.

What is the most courageous thing you have ever done?

Relocating to different geographies: Moving to Moscow as soon as I graduated from university; quitting my job at the beginning of my career and moving to Milan to study master’s degree in health economics; and finally moving to Sydney to pursue a new life.

If you could have any three people (dead or alive) over for dinner – who would they be?

My parents and my sister as we live in different geographies, and I miss them very much!

Who are your role models?

People who bring me joy and who make me feel better about myself. I have a long list…My parents, my husband, some of my teachers and leaders I work with.

Name a book you read that positively shaped you.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

You believe in sisterhood at work because…

Individual action is not sufficient. We need solidarity and collective action through sisterhood so that all women experience the benefits of professional growth and equality.

If you had one superpower, what would it be?

Time travel. Need a break? Take a vacation in the past and you can return to the moment you left. Miss your loved ones? Take a moment in the past with them.

Share a story about a time when you were really proud of your achievement.

The proudest moment of my career so far was taking on my current role in Australia where I have been driving a high-performance team and helping patients access lifesaving/life improving.

Share a story about a time when you recovered from a great mistake.

At the beginning of my career, I spent almost three years in a local organisation where mobbing was tolerated. I was unhappy and unmotivated until I decided to leave that toxic environment and took a different direction in my career and that decision helped me recover from a great mistake. If you think something is wrong, it probably is. Abuse, neglect, and bullying can take many forms, make sure you know how to report and do not waste time in that work if they tolerate misconduct.

Your advice to the next generation of career women from your learnings.

Leave your comfort zone. Keep going, putting one foot in front of the other, even when fear and doubt say you can’t. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover." -Mark Twain.

Do you have any pets?

Yes, I have Lilly – the apricot cavoodle.