During Women’s History Month, UCB congratulates two women leaders – Kassandra Watson, U.S. Contracts Coordinator, and Windy Wang, Head of Business Planning and Operations – for receiving significant recognition from the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA). This year, the HBA named Kassandra a Luminary and Windy a Rising Star.

As a Corporate Partner of HBA, and specific to the healthcare industry, UCB nominates two individuals annually – a Rising Star and a Luminary. Rising Stars exemplify leadership and contribute significantly to many parts of the organization, while Luminaries are seasoned professionals (20+ years in the industry) who have impacted healthcare by serving as role models and driving impactful progress.

We are honored to have leaders like Kassandra and Windy, who are industry trailblazers and enrich our environment with unique perspectives and experiences. We applaud them both and the other awardees for their well-deserved recognition!

About Kassandra

Kassandra has been with UCB for more than 20 years, joining the organization as part of the Schwarz Biosciences acquisition in 2004. As U.S. Contracts Coordinator, she manages the UCB and Strategic Clinical Partnering (SCP) Contracts Management Systems (CMS) and provides contracts support to the SCP team.

In addition to her daily responsibilities, Kassandra is involved with several UCB Employee Resource Groups (ERG). She is the communications lead for BEING, Women in Leadership (WiL), and United for Veterans.

Kassandra advocates for public education through her involvement in several initiatives with Wake County Schools in Cary, North Carolina. She formerly served as president of the Wake County Council PTA and is heavily involved in her church. Outside of the office, she likes spending time with family and listening to all genres of music.

“I believe my purpose is to serve others,” Kassandra says. “To me, UCB’s tagline, ‘inspired by patients, driven by science’ is very inspirational. I am so honored and humbled to receive the HBA Luminary recognition and be among all the great women who exemplify caring leadership. This recognition motivates me even more to inspire others, keep serving, and give back.”

About Windy

Windy joined UCB in 2011 and is currently Head of Business Planning & Operations for U.S. Rare Diseases, leading strategic planning for our growing Rare portfolio.

Over the last 14 years, Windy has made a significant impact in different leadership roles across UCB. This includes country-level operational excellence, commercial leadership, medical affairs, and driving multiple launches for Zilbrysq®, Rystiggo®, Bimzelx®, Briviact® and Neupro®. She has also helped build critical new organizational capabilities, and her colleagues love how she “makes the complex simple.”

Windy has a demonstrated track record in working globally and cross-culturally. In Japan, she led the Evolution to Solo project, which resulted in a new business operation model to enable successful solo launches. Windy enjoys new challenges and creating elegant solutions.

“I am humbled to receive the HBA Rising Star recognition,” Windy says. “It inspires me to continue supporting and mentoring others, actively seek opportunities to make a bigger impact, and challenge myself and team to blaze new trails!”

Prior to joining UCB, Windy worked at Boehringer Ingelheim, Hoffmann-La Roche, and the FDA in Neurology, Women’s Health, and Virology. She has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and Post-Doctorate Industry Fellowship from Rutgers University and a Healthcare MBA from George Washington University.

When she is not at work, Windy enjoys spending quality time with her family and traveling across the globe to discover great foods.

What’s Next

The HBA will host a “Woman of the Year” Event in Chicago, and virtually, on Friday, May 9, to recognize Rising Stars and Luminaries. Attendees will celebrate the achievements of remarkable leaders in the healthcare industry as well.

Again, congratulations to Kassandra and Windy! We are proud to honor them and remain grateful for the important roles they play in the lives of those at UCB, and in creating value for people living with severe diseases.