In today’s era, women across the globe are breaking barriers and excelling in leadership roles across various sectors. Born in Morocco, Zina's leadership journey is a reflection of empowerment and growth. Raised in Casablanca, she overcame personal challenges, from losing her parents at a young age to navigating a demanding career in the pharmaceutical industry. With 15 years of solid experience, Zina worked her way through multinational companies, ultimately founding Scotwork Morocco. Today, she channels her passion for empowering others by equipping senior managers with essential negotiation skills, transforming both lives and businesses through her leadership and expertise. Let’s hear more from Zina in this one on one interaction.

Could you share an overview of your professional journey as a pharma marketer? What have been some of the pivotal moments during your 15-year career?

I have 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including 5 in management. Working for 3 major multinational pharmaceuticals companies in France, Morocco and the UK, my negotiating skills were developed when negotiating with distributors, wholesalers and pharmacies to implement commercial policies. I built and led commercial departments at MSD and GSK, implementing strategies to drive business growth and efficiency. Managing teams of varying backgrounds, I developed strong skills in project management and people development. As Global Capability Lead at GSK, I enhanced teams’ commercial abilities to drive business growth and position GSK as a trusted partner in key markets. I also collaborated with Scotwork, delivering 30 negotiation workshops for my teams across Emerging Markets (Asia, Middle East & LATAM).

"My success mantra revolves around gratitude, with visualization and meditation playing key roles. I believe that gratitude is the ultimate secret to success, and I am thankful that my expertise in negotiation is now fully recognized"

Last but not least, I had the amazing opportunity to work for UNICEF in Abidjan - Côte d'Ivoire in Children Protection Section, where I had to manage complex negotiations internally and externally with government and local communities to implement programs. Life changing experience!

Can you introduce us to Scotwork Morocco? Share the core concept behind the venture and highlight its primary areas of expertise.

I discovered Scotwork back in 2017 as a client when I was working for GSK in London as Global Capabilities Lead. I needed a global partner who were able to deliver workshops in many countries in a short period of time, in local languages and Scotwork was the perfect provider for this major project. And I made the right choice! I was impressed by Scotwork' tutors level, my team's feedback/rating was very good and the impact on sales amazing. Founded in 1975 in the UK, Scotwork is the global authority on negotiation, offering independent training and consultancy services in 48 countries, including Morocco. With expertise spanning decades, Scotwork has trained over 700,000 senior managers in 29 languages. The company’s flagship program, Advancing Negotiation Skills (A.N.S.), equips participants with core negotiation skills through its unique 8-Step Approach©. This method recognizes that all negotiations have an underlying structure and combines lectures, realistic case plays, video analysis, and expert coaching. Participants engage in team preparation, negotiation, and performance evaluation to hone their skills. A.N.S. prepares individuals across all levels to excel in negotiation, ensuring they are confident, ethical, and competent. Scotwork is proud of its impressive stats: a 16.08x ROI within 3-6 months, 98.9 percent recommendation rate, over 700,000 satisfied participants, and 98 percent reporting improved performance after completing the program.

What are your primary focus areas for driving the company's growth?

Our objective is to become the top partner for Moroccan companies & multinational companies based in Morocco seeking premier negotiation skills from a globally recognized specialist, established since 1975. We aim to establish Scotwork as the leading provider in Morocco and expand into neighboring regions such as Algeria, Tunisia, and French West Africa region starting with Cote d’Ivoire. Our strategy encompasses both face-to-face and digital promotion, with a focus on commercial client prospecting, marketing, and promotion. Scotwork is an active member of Britcham, the French Commercial Chamber (CFCIM), and BNI Casa Impulse. Additionally, we prioritize teaching and people management, with a strong emphasis on leading tutoring and developing our team.

The journey of a business leader is filled with challenges. Could you shed some light on the key obstacles you face as a pharma marketer, and how you navigate these roadblocks?

In 2014, a significant price reform in Morocco mandated price cuts on 1,500 drugs, presenting major challenges. The tight deadlines between the price list publication and the implementation of new prices at pharmacies created logistical obstacles, including the need to restick over 300 million units within just two months. As the project leader for GSK’s price decrease initiative, I was responsible for bringing together various experts to develop a cohesive strategy. This involved creating a detailed roadmap, ensuring compliance with GSK’s quality standards and local regulations, addressing last-minute Ministry of Health requirements, and closely monitoring daily implementation.

The results were highly positive. We smoothly implemented the price changes across pharmacists, wholesalers, and distributors, leading to a 57 percent volume growth and maintaining GSK’s competitiveness, despite a 3 percent drop in value. Additionally, the transition increased demand, enhanced our reputation, and improved patient access to high-quality medicines while reinforcing our brand’s promotional efforts.

What do you consider to be your biggest achievements in your professional journey? Additionally, what is your personal ‘success mantra’ as a leader?

There have been many significant achievements in my career. Key highlights include pursuing a specialized Master's in the health sector, which launched my journey in the pharmaceutical industry at Sanofi France and Morocco and making bold decisions to leave comfort zones when necessary. My move to London for a short-term exchange turned into four wonderful years, shaping both my professional and personal growth. Volunteering with UNICEF in Ivory Coast and transitioning from the pharma industry to partnering with Scotwork in Morocco and French-speaking Africa were pivotal steps. Patience through the COVID shutdowns helped me find my passion.

Zina Barrada Ghallab, CEO, Scotwork Morocco

Zina Barrada is the CEO of Scotwork Morocco, leading the expansion of top-notch negotiation training in North and French West Africa. With a background in pharmaceutical management and international experience, including roles in London and with UNICEF, Zina is committed to advancing Scotwork's impact through innovative face-to-face and digital strategies.