International Women’s Day – Mei Ping Lee, Mae’s Journey Through ISPE’s Women in Pharma® in Malaysia

As the ISPE Foundation celebrates International Women’s Day, we are excited to highlight Mei Ping Lee, also fondly known as Mae. Mae is currently Chair of the ISPE Malaysia Affiliate of ISPE’s Women in Pharma® and a member of the Women in Pharma International Steering Committee. Below, Mae shares her journey to help establish ISPE’s Women in Pharma in Malaysia. Through the ISPE Professional Community of Practice (CoP), Mae and the ISPE Malaysia Affiliate have been able to share perspectives and provide encouragement to those within the pharmaceutical industry. As you read Mae’s story, we invite you to consider supporting your fellow ISPE members through the work of Women in Pharma.

Insights from Mae

The inception of Women in Pharma ISPE Malaysia Affiliate began when the President of ISPE’s Malaysia Affiliate, Zarina Noordin, proposed the idea to set up a Women in Pharma CoP for the ISPE Malaysia Affiliate in honour of our 10-year anniversary. Our Affiliate members believed in the core of the Women in Pharma mission – to provide a forum for women and men alike to connect and collaborate on topics that impact their technical work and career advancement.

I was given the mandate to champion the effort of bringing Women in Pharma to the shore of Malaysia. In laying the groundwork, I worked closely with Julia Gandhi, PhD, Chair of Women in Pharma for the ISPE Singapore Affiliate to learn about the events and activities they held that we too could implement. After an intense six months of planning and collaboration with the ISPE Asia Pacific Affiliate Council (APAC) and the dedication of Vivien Santillan, current Chair of the ISPE Women in Pharma International Steering Committee, the ISPE Malaysia Affiliate’s Women in Pharma community officially begun in July of 2022.

Since then, we have positioned ourselves as the go-to Women in Pharma resource for ISPE members in Malaysia—providing extensive opportunities to inspire, uplift, and connect those within the APAC region and internationally. Due to an overwhelming number of requests, we are now embarking on the second cycle of a nine-month mentorship program that began in October 2024 and will run through June 2025. The program, exclusively designed and tailored for local students and emerging professionals, has led to the acquisition of many new ISPE members. We are extremely grateful for the support of the experienced, prominent industry leaders who volunteer their time and energy to serve as mentors. They are each excellent role models who are shaping the future of our industry through their efforts.

In just two years, the ISPE Malaysia Affiliate’s Women in Pharma community has grown thirty-fold. We represent a wide variety of participants including students, recent graduates, pharmaceutical professionals, regulators, and government employees. We continue to grow the CoP through social networking events, roundtable sessions, panel discussions, hosted talks and more. We also partner diligently with the local student chapter to attract new members and continually push the mission of Women in Pharma to the next generation.

Through our efforts, we have become a magnet force—consistently welcoming new ISPE members into our community through Women in Pharma. It has been truly rewarding to witness how providing a platform for inspiring engagement has positively impacted the personal and professional lives of our members, benefitting our entire ISPE community and the local pharmaceutical landscape. The ISPE Malaysia Affiliate’s Women in Pharma community will remain steadfast—working to provide a safe space where everyone, especially those new to the industry, can access a network of mentors, role models, and educational resources to support their professional success.

In honor of International Women’s Day, I encourage you to join with us to shape the future of the pharmaceutical industry by giving to Women in Pharma. Your gift may be the support someone needs to become a life-changing leader in the pharmaceutical industry.

Learn More And Consider Making A Gift Today

About the Author

Mei Ping Lee, also fondly known as Mae, is currently Quality Assurance Manager at Winwa Medical Sendirian Berhad, Malaysia, a wholly Malaysian-owned pharmaceutical and complementary products manufacturer and marketer of its own brand products.

Connect with Mae on LinkedIn: Mae MP Lee

Connect with the ISPE Foundation on LinkedIn