In this International Women’s Day interview, Lina Marie Rasmussen, VP, Global Supply Chain at LEO Pharma, shares the bold career moves and defining moments that shaped her leadership. From global roles to championing inclusive cultures, she reflects on resilience, opportunity, and why inspiring more women into supply chain truly matters.

Can you tell us about your career journey so far? What first drew you to the supply chain and life sciences industry, and how did you progress to your current role?

Supply chain was never part of some grand career blueprint. My background is in finance, but I’ve always had one foot near operations - as a trainee at KPMG working with production companies, and later with Microsoft in the US, as part of the entertainment division (Xbox and gaming).

At LEO, I started as Operations Manager for our commercial International region, headquartered in Dubai, with 56 markets across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The patchwork of countries came with its own unique supply challenges, and this pulled me into my first dedicated supply chain role - Head of Global Commercial Supply. The moment I stepped in, I was hooked. Supply chain runs at a pace where the pieces keep moving, with or without you.

From there, I gradually took on additional hats within the supply chain function until I had, in effect, the whole wardrobe. A year into my role as VP of Global Supply Chain, external manufacturing - largely bioproduction partners - was folded in. That was the door into more complex production set-ups to support new product technologies that mirror LEO’s innovation agenda.

LEO’s culture adds its own weight and meaning to the work. The “patients promise” isn’t corporate wallpaper - it’s a commitment to deliver innovative solutions to those living with skin disease.

Looking back, were there any defining moments, challenges, or opportunities that had a significant impact on your career path or leadership style?

In 2021, LEO took on a minority shareholder to help prepare us for a potential IPO. That changed the tempo. We had to do a number of things differently: professionalise the way we operated, strip away distractions, and focus every resource on supporting the business agenda.

I was new to my senior management role and during these next year I learned to stop trying to frame everything myself and lean into my team’s expertise. They were resilient, ambitious, and empathetic to the ripple effects of change - and they delivered the changes successfully with strong results.

The best lesson they taught me? Leadership isn’t about the loudest voice or the first step forward. It’s also knowing when to step back so others can be brilliant.

We are now three years into the transformation, and the question is starting to shift: what got us here won’t get us there. We need to change the formula to ensure long-term success.

In the Global Supply Chain leadership team, we’ve set up a quarterly session where we ask three simple questions: What’s working? What’s not? What’s missing?

From there, we set goals with traction - rooted in themes like advancing digitalisation and strengthening tech literacy.

The idea is to treat progress as a moving target and to continuously close the gap between today’s reality and tomorrow’s ambition.

As a leader, how do you foster a positive and inclusive work culture within your teams?

You can make it complex, or you can make it simple: start with an open mind.

For me, that means consistently reminding myself to seek out perspectives from colleagues whose profiles differ from mine.

I’m naturally an optimistic person, and I give trust as the default. It’s the starting point, not something earned through hoops. Yes, trust can be lost, but in my experience, that’s rare. And I’ve yet to see anyone grow from being punished or shouted at.

What I have seen is something closer to a self‑fulfilling prophecy: when you begin from trust, people will meet it.

In regards to inspiring women to step into the wonderful world of Supply Chain/Logistics, why is this important to you personally, and how is this a regular part of your day-to-day role at LEO Pharma?

I’ve had people champion me, and I want to do the same for others. For women in supply chain and manufacturing, that means opening my network, advocating for opportunities, and making sure talent has clear career paths in LEO.

This is true for people of all genders, but I’ve noticed something more often in women who are newer to the workforce: a tendency toward doubt and a lack of confidence in their own capabilities. Yes, I’m generalising - but I also recognise echoes of my own early career in that. Many women, myself included, grew up with a kind of “soft skills currency” - being pleasant and easy to work with, supporting others, making sure things run smoothly.

Those are important in supply chain and leadership, but they’re only part of the equation. At some point, you also need to be comfortable being firm, direct, and sometimes demanding - even if that wasn’t what earned praise when you were younger or in some social settings.

I aspire to show other women that you can navigate both worlds at once - you can be feminine, collaborative, and empathetic, while also being relentlessly performance-oriented. Day to day at LEO, I keep close to this conversation through our graduate programme and cross-industry mentor programmes. And when I see someone - often a woman - ready for a bigger role but isn’t raising her hand, I make it my business to understand why. Sometimes there are valid personal factors, sometimes it’s a perceived gap against the “full” job description or the fact that she has family commitments. Either way, those barriers are worth talking through - and, if possible, worth fixing - so talented people can step confidently into the opportunities they deserve.

From your perspective, how is work culture changing across supply chain and logistics, and what progress are you most encouraged by, especially for women in the industry?

From where I sit, the pharma supply chain and operations haven’t had an entrenched “tough” culture of its own. What’s shifting isn’t attitude so much as ambition. The biggest change I see is the growing insistence on innovation: in science, in data, in automation.

It’s no longer enough to simply keep things moving; the expectation is to keep them moving smarter. That’s pushing the industry beyond its traditional operational comfort zone into a space where agility, technical fluency, and creative problem-solving matter as much as process discipline.

For both women and men, that evolution is encouraging. As expertise becomes more multidimensional, there’s more room for varied perspectives and skill sets to shape the future.

For women who are earlier in their careers or aspiring to leadership roles in supply chain, what advice would you share based on your own experience?

If you want to run a global supply chain, you can’t camp out in one corner of it.

Deep expertise in manufacturing, planning or data analytics is valuable, but not enough on its own. You need a broader profile - real insight into the main disciplines: sourcing, production, planning, commercial supply and logistics. And if you can layer in experience across different cultures, even better. It changes the way you think and the way you solve problems.

My career didn’t follow the beaten track, but I can’t recall ever saying no to a meaningful opportunity. Even if it wasn’t my “dream job,” it gave me tools I’d use later. Be curious. Throw yourself into the jobs you’re not entirely sure you can master, but suspect you might.

An executive career also comes with trade-offs, and it’s healthier to admit that than to pretend you can have it all. For me, it’s not possible to be a perfect friend, in top shape, keeping a large social circle, pursuing hobbies, nurturing family, and excelling at work -all at the same time.

I’ve chosen to keep my main focus on work and family, and I’ve accepted that other parts of life get less of my energy. You have to be honest with yourself about what matters most and what you’re willing to let go.

Because here’s the thing: having big responsibilities is a privilege, but it’s also demanding. Attention is finite - and how you spend it will define your career, your relationships, and your life. Choose with care.

LogiPharma are thrilled to announce that Lina Marie will also be speaking at the conference in April, register today to hear her insights in April 2026.