Since being appointed as the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in April 2017, Emma Walmsley has become known as the most powerful woman in the pharmaceutical industry. She was selected for the role after impressing executives as the leader of the company’s consumer healthcare business, having previously spent 17 years at the helm of L’Oréal.

In the short time she has been CEO of GSK, Walmsley has proved to be a dynamic and decisive leader – one who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo. In July, she set about a bold restructuring programme that aimed to enhance GSK’s drug research productivity – something Walmsley sees as key to boosting the company’s overall profitability. Analysts and investors alike have been optimistic about this new direction for the company.

As part of her restructuring initiative, Walmsley is keen to make GSK much leaner as a business, offloading 130 of its drug brands in favour of fewer treatments with better profit potential. In the future, GSK will be working on medicines for respiratory diseases, HIV and oncology and immuno-inflammation, which are seen as priority treatments. Walmsley also wants the company’s R&D and commercial teams to collaborate closely moving forward.

Walmsley has a positive philosophy, and throughout her career has jumped at opportunities for change, having gone from a non-pharmaceutical background to leading GSK – as well as living in both Shanghai and New York. In a recent blog for Lean In – Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s web initiative to bring women together – Walmsley discussed the importance of grabbing life with both hands, saying: “People regret far more what they don’t do than what they do.” These words not only guide how she manages her personal affairs, but may also underpin how she intends to move forward at GSK – favouring brave new choices over conservative ones. Considering the organisation’s latest restructuring plans, it certainly looks that way.