2012: Carolyn Buck Luce

The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) announced Carolyn Buck Luce as its 2012 Woman of the Year. Ms. Buck Luce was recognized for her leadership in healthcare and life sciences as well as her tireless efforts focused on the advancement of women in the industry.

“The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association is extremely proud to honor Carolyn Buck Luce as our 2012 Woman of the Year,” says Buket Grau, HBA chair emeritus. “Carolyn is a dedicated leader promoting women’s advancement in healthcare.”

Upon receiving the award, Ms. Buck Luce stated, "It is a true privilege to be recognized by the HBA with this award. Today's healthcare industry presents huge opportunities and challenges that will require all our best talent focusing on improving health outcomes for individual patients and societies. The discovery, development and life cycle management of diverse global talent will be the key driver of innovation in the future. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the HBA in finding ways to accelerate the enormous potential of professional women throughout the healthcare ecosystem."

At the time of receiving this award, Ms. Buck Luce was global pharmaceutical sector leader at Ernst & Young. Ms. Buck Luce was responsible for overseeing strategy, thought leadership, resourcing, learning and solutions for the firm’s life science clients. In that regard, Ms. Buck Luce has championed an industry-wide conversation based on Ernst & Young’s perspective of the transformation of the industry to “Pharma 3.0.” During her twenty-one years at Ernst & Young, Ms. Buck Luce has also served as national director of strategic investments and helped co-found the Ernst & Young Center for Strategic Transactions, advising more than 200 CEOs on their transaction strategies. Ms. Buck Luce is also a founding member of the firm’s Diversity Task Force. Prior to joining Ernst & Young in 1991, Ms. Buck Luce spent seventeen years in banking, consulting and government, providing a diverse range of capital market activities for public and private companies.

“Carolyn exemplifies the remarkable reach and unmistakable impact of inclusive leadership,” said Jim Turley, chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young. “She has driven Ernst & Young’s work in the global life sciences market during a period characterized by complexity, increasing regulation and a constant demand for innovation, yet her ability to connect people and solutions leaves a lasting mark on both the healthcare and professional services industries. At the same time, Carolyn accelerated her efforts to champion the advancement of women leaders through thought leadership and community service. We are proud to call her a colleague and recognize her tremendous leadership.”

A long-standing and passionate advocate for the advancement of women in business, Ms. Buck Luce is a co-founder of the Corporate Council for the White House Project, which brings together major corporations to enhance the perception of women as business leaders in the public eye.
Having co-founded the Center for Talent Innovation (formerly known as the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force) with Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Ms. Buck Luce is now the executive in residence and is leading a research project on the Power of the Purse: Exploring the implications of the SHE economy on the transformation of the HC industry and the business models of Life Sciences and other HC companies as they transition from product centric to customer-centric models.

A sought-after writer and speaker on topics related to the Pharma 3.0 industry transformation as well as women and minorities in business, Ms. Buck Luce has been the author or co-author of several recent articles in the Harvard Business Review, including “Stopping the Exodus of Women in Science”, “Leadership in Your Midst: Tapping the Hidden Talents of Your Minority Executives” and “On-Ramps and Off-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success.”

Read the Woman of the Year cover story from Pharmaceutical Executive magazine.

Read Carolyn's Woman of the Year speech.

All information in the honoree’s bio is reflective of the time they won the award.