December 9, 2025
Volume 01 - Issue 02
In the Spotlight
In this issue we turn our spotlight to shine on Alona Fraser; Senior Consultant Program and Portfolio Management at Concuir Consulting. Like many of the women we meet on the 12 Million Women journey, Alona, didn’t set out to be a project manager. Instead she found the thrill of stepping into chaos to help teams get aligned, make decisions, and move forward to be an irresistible draw. More than ten years later what has kept her in the career is the conversion of ambiguity into momentum that helps teams deliver things they didn’t think were possible.
What got you interested in health and pharmaceuticals as an industry to apply your project management skills in?
The biopharma space gives project managers a rare combination: complexity, purpose, and impact. I was drawn to the idea that the work I do — aligning teams, driving strategy, solving problems — ultimately connects to improving or even saving patients’ lives. It’s an industry where cross-functional collaboration is essential, and where strong project leadership directly influences how quickly and safely therapies reach patients. That sense of mission keeps me energized.
What were three key turning points in your career and what did you learn from them?
Moving from traditional projects to complex, cross-functional programs.
Transitioning into drug development and commercialization.
Earning advanced certifications and stepping into portfolio governance.
I learned that true influence doesn’t come from hierarchy. It comes from clarity, empathy, and the ability to make others successful. The best project leaders speak multiple languages to understand stakeholders, the technology, and the business. Finally, it is not just deliverables and timelines, thinking in terms of enterprise value, long-term strategy, and organizational design have been key facets of my success that were achieved by zooming out.
You have an interest in both project and product management. What do you find most interesting about this intersection?
Project management is about how work gets done; product management is about why the work matters. When those two disciplines meet, teams become more strategic, patient-focused, and aligned. I love this intersection because it forces us to think beyond execution and consider patient needs, clinical value, and long-term impact — especially critical in commercial and launch environments.
As you stepped into portfolios and programs instead of just projects, what changed? What skills do you rely on the most?
The biggest shift was moving from delivering outputs to outcomes. It becomes less about one project’s success, and more about aligning the organization around what matters most. The skills I rely on for this are: strategic thinking; influencing without authority; decision facilitation; risk & scenario planning; and navigating investment tradeoffs. I especially rely on clarity and neutrality.
What advice would you give to women who use PM skills but don’t yet see themselves as “project managers?”
You are likely already doing the hard part. Titles don’t make project managers; behavior does. Recognize and claim these skills. Project management is not just a job function; it is a leadership path.
If you had one wish, what would you change for women in project management?
I would eliminate the invisible barrier of being seen as “the organizer” instead of the leader. Women are often relied on to keep things running smoothly but not always recognized as strategic drivers. I believe that women often excel at relationship-building and empathy, which are powerful assets, but if we can see ourselves as confident communicators and decision-makers and we’re unstoppable.
If you’re interested in PM careers in biotech or pharma, Alona suggests you focus on understanding how drugs are developed and commercialized and how every decision impacts timelines, budgets, and patient outcomes. Equally important is being patient-centric. Learn the patient journey and what truly matters to them. For follow-up, explore resources like PMI certifications for project management fundamentals, industry podcasts, and patient advocacy groups for real-world perspectives. At the end of the day, it’s all about patients, their lives, and their health. Keep that at the center, and you’ll make a meaningful impact.
Know someone who identifies as female and is doing great work enabled by project management skills? Nominate them to be featured in the Spotlight in an upcoming issue!
Skill Building
Exclusive for paid subscribers and 12 Million Women community members, in each newsletter issue, this section will feature women-focused advice, learning, skill building, or thought leadership designed to elevate your project management practice.
In this issue we are pleased to have 12 Million Women Advisory Committee expert Raquel Horta discussing Power Skills and her new book titled: Power Skills: The Human Edge in Project & Program Management.
Currently available on Amazon in Paperback (US, UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, PL, SE, BE, IE, JP, CA, AU) and Kindle eBook (US, UK, DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU, IN) formats.
