Leaning into a challenge is not typically an easy thing to do, and rarely comes naturally. Consistently jumping into one challenge after another is even harder to do, but those who are able to accept their own capabilities can make tremendous strides in their careers and lives. Emma Walmsley, the first woman Chief Executive Officer of major pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and a mother of four, has often had to muster the courage to lean in, but it has made for big results.
Born in June 1969 in the United Kingdom, she was boarded at St. Swithun’s School and later earned a Master of Arts degree in classics and modern languages from Oxford University, where she studied at Christ Church. Her career began at L’Oreal, the global personal care company based in Clichy, France, where she served in a variety of general management and marketing roles in Paris, London, and New York. In 2007, she moved to Shanghai as general manager of consumer products for L’Oreal China and was being eyed for an eventual senior global management role.
But after nearly two decades of working for L’Oreal, her world changed after a networking lunch with Andrew Witty, then CEO of GSK. According to Walmsley, “an inspiring conversation ended up spiraling into a job offer alarmingly fast.” Witty’s offer: for her to be the president of GSK’s global consumer healthcare business, which operates in over 100 countries with nearly $7 billion in sales and thousands of employees worldwide.
She took the position, and over the next several years, she climbed the corporate ladder, eventually becoming the CEO of consumer healthcare. Then, in 2017, she took over as CEO of the company, making her the first woman to take on that role. Walmsley’s effort and dedication had paid off and as the new CEO, she made many much-needed changes, transforming the company and preparing it for greater ongoing success.
She says she initially spent a week persuading herself that she would be insane to pursue the initial position, but ultimately realized the challenge was exactly why she should lean into the opportunity. David Owen, her husband of over 25 years, reminded her that every time she had taken on a new role and thought it was too big for her, she not only managed, but thrived. According to Walmsley, “People regret far more what they don’t do rather than what they do.”