Lorraine Hill attended Townsend Girls High School in Zimbabwe and graduated from Rhodes University with a B.Pharm degree. She completed her in-service training to become a Pharmacist in 1986 and formally entered the pharmaceutical industry in 1987.
In 1994 she joined Garec Pharmaceuticals to head up the Regulatory Affairs department and later took up the pharmaceutical responsibility of Managing Director. Garec was integrated into Aspen in 1998 and as such she has worked for the Aspen Group, through this combined tenure, for more than 21 years.
Over the past 9 years her level of responsibility has grown from managing the Regulatory Affairs department at Aspen (which at the time operated almost exclusively in South Africa) to being appointed the Group Operating Officer, reporting directly to the Group Chief Executive. Her current position includes global responsibility for multiple operational areas of the business including regulatory affairs, quality, pharmacovigilence, manufacturing and supply chain, procurement and third party supply, negotiation and implementation of new business initiatives including the lead in the majority of Aspen’s global transactions, IT, and group project management. She also holds directorship positions on various Aspen Group companies.

The rapid growth of Aspen necessitated the establishment of global systems, processes and structures across all Group operations functions, which Lorraine contributed significantly towards. Worthy of particular mention is the recent finalization of two major transactions with GlaxosmithKline and MSD and the seamless integration of these transactions into the newly created structures. These acquisitions had a combined value of more than R20 billion.

Lorraine has worked with industry groups to draft guidelines which contributed to the:

• Establishment of an operational infrastructure for the globalization of Aspen;
• Development of processes and practices which have formed a solid foundation for future business growth; and
• Creation of a Woman’s Forum to further the specific needs of women in the Aspen workplace.

The empowerment of women lies close to Lorraine’s heart. Through participation with the Group’s executive HR forum, and in her capacity as the chairperson of the Aspen Women’s Forum, she has endeavoured to ensure that any perceived and real barriers to the advancement of women within Aspen are overcome. She collaborated with colleagues to formulate and implement a programme for talented individuals to afford them opportunities similar to those she has been privileged to receive.

Lorraine’s career trajectory has inspired many of the women in Aspen, which has subsequently contributed to an increase in the number of women in senior management positions within the Group. This has created a cascade of women mentors within Aspen, who continue to share the tools and key success factors for women in business.

Her significant achievements in the pharmaceutical sector include Technical Chairpersonship of the National Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, Chairperson of the Self Medication Association, Secretary and Co-ordinator of the Industry Task Group and multiple-finalist of the Standard Bank Businesswoman of the Year Award.

In addition, she implemented the strategy and registered Aspen’s anti-retroviral (ARV) portfolio which was launched in 2003 and which included the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (PEPFAR) tentative approval of one of the world’s first generic ARVs. Lorraine cites one of her most significant achievements as having been able to make a difference in the lives of patients around the world.
She has also dedicated her time to education, which she believes is one of the keys to success. To this end she worked with a group of dedicated individuals to build and start a group comprising three private schools, and she chaired the Board of Governors of one of the schools for more than six years.

Lorraine is married to Bradley and they have three children. Despite a very demanding career, her family is a priority to her and she particularly enjoys spending time with them as well as her extended family.