October 1, 2025
Gillette Stadium
Join us for an inspiring and insightful program hosted by the EDEI (Ethnocultural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) committee at the Boston Chapter ISPE Product Show. This event will focus on career growth and the unique journeys of professionals who have successfully navigated their career paths. Through engaging discussions, our panel of speakers will share their personal stories, detailing how they planned their careers, tackled obstacles, and leveraged diversity, equity, and inclusion to achieve their goals. Attendees will gain valuable insights into strategic career planning, overcoming challenges, and the importance of fostering an inclusive workplace. Whether you are just starting your career or looking to advance to the next level, this event will provide you with practical advice and inspiration to help you on your own career journey. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from and network with industry leaders committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
Speakers:
Moderator – Amy Paro, Principal, Collaborative Consulting, Amy Paro Coaching & Consulting
Victor Szeto, Senior Manager, Regulatory CMC, AbbVie
Vivianne Arencibia, VP, Global Quality Systems & Compliance, Moderna
Gretchen Cook-Anderson, Executive Director, Ignite, LabCentral
Sue Marrichi, Vice President and Site Head, GTMF, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.
Biographies:
Moderator – Amy Paro, Principal, Collaborative Consulting, Amy Paro Coaching & Consulting
Hi, I’m Amy. Imagine a world where “fauxnection” is replaced by genuine, heartfelt connections—to ourselves, our work, and those around us. That’s the world I’m on a mission to create. A world where there’s a little less “faux” and a little more “co”: more connection, community, cohesion, co-creation. To do this, I blend curiosity and creativity with critical thinking to help people drive meaningful change and innovation.
As an organizational consultant and coach with extensive experience in the BioTech industry, I partner with clients through their unique transformative journeys. Having navigated diverse career paths after being laid off twice before age 25, I understand the complexities of career movement. Since leaving corporate biotech in 2022, I’ve been dedicated to helping individuals and organizations identify who they are, what they want, and how to achieve it authentically.
Victor Szeto, Senior Manager, Regulatory CMC, AbbVie
Victor Szeto is the Senior Manager of Regulatory CMC at AbbVie. Having previously worked at Shire, Takeda and ThermoFisher, he has over ten years experience in Quality Control, Validation and Regulatory. Victor has a BSc from UMass Amherst for Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology and an MSc in Bioscience management from WPI.
Vivianne Arencibia, VP, Global Quality Systems & Compliance, Moderna
Vivianne Arencibia is the Vice President of Global Quality Systems and Compliance with Moderna Therapeutics, Inc. based out of Norwood, Massachusetts. She brings over 30 years of global leadership, regulatory remediation and compliance experience to the ISPE community. Prior to joining Moderna Tx, Vivianne lead her consulting company, Arencibia Quality and Compliance Associates, LLC based in the Northeast and before that she held a variety of leadership positions at Novartis AG, most recently as the Global Head of External Engagement for Group Quality at Novartis. Since assuming that role in 2017, Vivianne was responsible for the strategic global engagement plan for GxP related matters across trade, member- based and standards setting organizations. Vivianne joined Novartis in 1997 as a QA Manager in Manufacturing and assumed leadership positions of increasing responsibility across multiple GxP disciplines. Following her initial appointment, Vivianne served as Global Head of Clinical Quality Assurance, Development; Global Head Group Quality Compliance and Audit; and Global Head, Step Change, Integrity and Compliance. Throughout her career, Vivianne developed strong relationships with industry associations, trade organizations and regulators, worldwide. Vivianne has been a dedicated ISPE member since 1991. She is currently a Director on the ISPE International Board of Directors as well as on ISPE Foundation Board. She is the 2022 Governance Officer for the Foundation, is a member the RQHC North America Regional Focus Group and the co-chair for ISPE’s International’s Women in Pharma Community of Practice. Vivianne provides strong advocacy for ISPE and has participated in planning committees for ISPE meetings and as a speaker on industry current topics. Vivianne is passionate about the development and mentoring of future industry leaders and as such is a strong advocate for ISPE’s efforts among industry peers. Vivianne holds a Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a Masters of Jurisprudence in Pharmaceutical-Medical Device and Healthcare Compliance from Setion Hall Law School, and has completed several business and leadership development programs at Harvard University, Dartmouth University, and at Bürgenstock, Switzerland.
Gretchen Cook-Anderson, Executive Director, Ignite, LabCentral
Gretchen Cook-Anderson is an award-winning global marketing leader and managing partner of Undaunted Marketing, whose strategic initiatives have driven over $225 million in revenues for employers and clients. With a mission to harness the power of marketing and communications at the intersection of DEI, Gretchen advises CEOs, C-suite executives, and boards of organizations dedicated to inclusively driving revenue, social impact, talent diversity, and stakeholder engagement on both local and global scales.
In her prior role as inaugural Executive Director at Cambridge, MA-based LabCentral Ignite, Gretchen Cook-Anderson led efforts at the first-and-only-of-its-kind platform addressing systemic racial, gender and other underrepresentation in talent across the life sciences and the biotech industry – from labs to leadership, and from the STEM student pipeline to the entrepreneurs advancing life-changing innovations. During Gretchen’s tenure, she grew the Ignite to eight programs, an annual two-day bioDiversity Summit & Awards, an award-winning Life Sciences in Full Color marketing and community awareness campaign, a robust grant and donor infrastructure, full-time team and esteemed advisory board.
In early 2023, Gretchen was tapped by Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu to serve on her Life Sciences Workforce Development Initiative task force. Gretchen was also honored in October 2020 among the inaugural 50 Most Influential Businesspersons of Color by the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce (MetroWest region). She was also recognized in February 2021 by the Massachusetts Legislature as a Black Excellence on The Hill honoree. She formerly served IES Abroad for more than 10 years as global head of DEI and Associate VP of Diversity Recruiting & Advising, a division she created and scaled enrollment diversity 151% (growth by 19,000 students) and related tuition revenue during her tenure.
Gretchen holds a BA in political science from Spelman College, a dual MA in international economics and Japanese studies from The Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and two executive education certificates from Harvard University in city leadership and leading across difference.
Sue Marrichi, Vice President and Site Head, GTMF, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.
Sue Marrichi currently serves as the site head of Ultragenyx’s Gene Therapy Manufacturing Facility (GTMF) located in Bedford, MA. The site opened in 2023 and is operational for clinical and commercial manufacture of the company’s portfolio of gene therapies. Prior to becoming site head, Sue led the Gene Therapy Engineering, Facilities, and Validation teams in the design, buildout, and startup of the GTMF, as well as the GMP QC laboratories in Woburn, MA. Before joining Ultragenyx, Sue received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University, and worked at Regeneron, Allergan, Shire, and Takeda in various technical and leadership roles across biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing over the last 20 years. Sue has been a member of ISPE for 7 years and recently presented in multiple conferences and events. In her free time, Sue enjoys traveling with her family, watching her 2 sons play ice hockey [year-round], and snuggling with her feisty Shiba Inu, Evie.