Meet Diana, Associate Director, Supply & Logistics Portfolio Management

Hi, I'm Diana, Associate Director, Supply & Logistics Portfolio Management at Parexel. I joined Parexel in 2015 as a Project Specialist in Argentina, then moved to Germany in 2019 and rejoined Parexel in Berlin in 2022 in my current role. I lead a team of 10 wonderful people, focusing on genuine connection, feedback, and bringing out everyone's best.

What does your team do?

My team is split into two main areas:

• Logistics from hospital to laboratory: Managing the logistics for patient samples. Ensuring samples taken after medication are properly sent to different laboratories for testing.
• Supply from purchase to the hospital: Ordering medical devices and equipment, packing and labeling medications and auxiliary supplies, and delivering essential items (like sample tubes) to clinical sites.

Within both teams, I have a range of roles based on seniority levels:

• Specialists: Handle administrative tasks and day-to-day operations
• Coordinators: Manage workflow and ensure smooth processes
• Project Managers: Develop strategic plans and oversee larger initiatives

This structure allows team members to progress from handling basic logistics operations to eventually creating comprehensive logistics strategies for entire projects.

How would you describe the culture in the logistics team?

In Logistics, we work with the "series of rights": The right product at the right time, in the right place for the right people. Though many things can go wrong (carrier issues, stock shortages, customs problems), we always support each other in finding solutions.

The second aspect I really appreciate is openness. We communicate directly: "This is hard, I don't think we'll make it." This transparency creates trust and allows us to solve problems together.

How do your team members connect their work to Parexel's patient-first core value?

Parexel has connected its employees really well to our core value of patients-first. My team naturally prioritizes patients in every interaction. When discussing issues, they immediately address patient impact: "We have a problem, but no patient will be impacted" or "There's a risk for randomization next week—we need to brainstorm solutions."

They're very conscious of the impact on patients. Most people in my team have told me that one of the reasons they chose Parexel, apart from the culture and flexibility, is that they feel they're part of impacting patients' lives. This is one of the biggest drivers for many people to choose Parexel.

What do you see as good line management?

That's a beautiful question. I find that good line management and leadership are complex topics that you never stop learning about.

• Ability to be vulnerable: When you show that you're human, it opens up a trust environment for good communication and transparency.
• Put the team first: Prioritizing the growth and development of the team above their own needs.
• See the superpower in every individual: The challenge is to trigger that superpower and bring out passion in everyone, which drives motivation because people feel seen.
• Creating community: We're not just boss and employees, we're a team. To foster that, I created team meetings focused on connection. At the beginning, I had to force it a bit by asking fun questions when people were shy. But over time, it became natural. Now we laugh, joke and thrive together.
  
  

How do you feel supported by Parexel in your line management role?

The logistics team managers meet regularly to share operational things, strategy, and insights. We learn from each other, from different cultures, or lessons learned from projects.

Also, when I first started as a line manager, Parexel's "New Manager Training" taught me important topics like giving feedback and coaching. 

You're involved in many voluntary activities at Parexel. Why do you do all of that?

I'll tell you the story of my why. It starts sad, but I'm not sad and I don't want you to be sad. My parents died when I was little - my mother when I was 12 and my father a year after. I was extremely blessed to have my aunties and cousins, who supported me, and I was financially okay. To cope with that difficult situation, I developed the goal to always look forward. In the process, I not only started enjoying life and learning, but also opened my horizon. I've lived in many countries, the UK, the US, Argentina, Germany, and I'm Colombian - and besides Spanish, I learned English, Italian, and German. This expanded my mind and exposed me to different cultures. It also made me feel incredibly blessed for the opportunities I've had, because many orphans don't have even a percentage of the opportunities I was blessed with. From that comes a deep desire to give back to the world.

I started with voluntary work, mostly with children and orphans. Then I expanded to creating ideas, making people talk to each other and helping them learn and connect. About three years ago, I started mentoring for free. People started asking to pay me for coaching, so I got approval from my bosses at Parexel to do paid coaching for five hours per week. 

What excites you most when you think of the future at Parexel?

What excites me most right now is the change in mindset I'm witnessing across Parexel. There's a critical thinking revolution happening—not just in my team, but throughout the entire logistics department and possibly the whole organization.

People are no longer accepting "we've always done it this way." Instead, they're:

• Challenging established processes
• Generating innovative ideas
• Bringing practical solutions to the table
• Focusing on how we can better serve patients

It feels like an awakening. We're now capturing this energy by creating structured innovation funnels and prioritizing initiatives in ways we never did before.

I'm incredibly hopeful about our direction, even though I recognize the reality: this transformation will take time and involve necessary bureaucratic steps. But that's appropriate when our work ultimately impacts patient lives. The most important thing is that we've started this journey, and I'm confident the impact will be tremendous.