Listening First, Leading Forward
The global journey of Andrea von der Lippe
Andrea von der Lippe, President of International Markets, Merz Therapeutics
From her early days in sales in Germany to leading international markets across three continents, Andrea von der Lippe has built her career on one conviction: authentic leadership begins with listening.
In the early 1990s, Andrea could often be found visiting clients and store managers across Germany. Her briefcase was filled with sales reports; her notebook, with questions. She was eager to understand what motivated people: the customers buying the products, the teams selling them, and the partners building the business.
“Even then,” she recalls, “numbers mattered, but I was always drawn to what was behind them — the people and relationships that made business sustainable. I wanted to understand real needs, build trustful partnerships, and create value that would last beyond a single transaction.”
That curiosity became her compass. Over the next three decades, she would navigate the worlds of consumer health, aesthetics, and therapeutics, industries very different in science yet united by their dependence on trust and partnership. Each role deepened her belief that leadership is less about control and more about connection.
Negotiation, patience, and resilience
Andrea’s early career in sales and key-account management was demanding. The work required constant negotiation, patience, and resilience. “It was a crash course in human behaviour,” she says. “You learn quickly that success depends on relationships and keeping your word.”
Over time, her responsibilities grew: leading customer teams responsible for major pharmacy and retail chains, then shaping category strategies and national sales targets. However, her perspective shifted when she moved from domestic business to regional leadership. “As you progress in an organisation, the more you realise you’re leading through others, not around them,” she reflects. “You can’t win by pushing from the top. You have to bring people together through shared purpose.”
The transition from managing local teams to guiding international ones was exhilarating and humbling. By the mid-2010s, Andrea was managing partners across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It was her first experience leading truly diverse markets, each with its own culture, language, and regulatory environment. “Leading in one country teaches you expertise,” she says. “Leading across multiple regions teaches you humility.”
That humility became her greatest strength. As she began overseeing emerging regions, including Asia and Latin America, she developed what colleagues describe as a diplomatic yet determined leadership style, direct in vision, but always respectful of local expertise.
“Every partner brings something unique,” she says. “My role is to connect those insights and let people learn from one another.” She still remembers the early trips that opened her eyes to how differently people approach the same goal. In Japan, negotiations were precise and deliberate; in Brazil, collaborative and fluid; in Saudi Arabia, anchored in long-term trust. Those contrasts fascinated her. “It taught me that there isn’t one right way to lead,” she explains. “If you want to succeed globally, you have to be multilingual, not in language, but in mindset.”
Her first major test came during a period of rapid expansion, when new partnerships had to be established across markets with vastly different business climates. In some countries, regulations shifted overnight; in others, long-standing distributors needed careful transition to new frameworks. “I realised that leadership in global markets isn’t about having perfect answers,” she recalls. “It’s about asking the right questions and building trust fast.”
She adopted a rule that still guides her teams: listen before you lead. Rather than sending pre-made strategies from headquarters, Andrea encouraged partners and regional managers to co-design solutions suited to their environment. That philosophy became her trademark. Whether negotiating complex agreements or mentoring new managers, she starts from the same premise — collaboration grounded in respect.
Partnership is not a transaction,” she says. “It’s a relationship that has to earn its way forward every day.”
Over a decade in international leadership, Andrea has overseen operations spanning roughly eighty countries and dozens of partners. The scope is vast, but the principle remains personal. Her teams work across markets that differ widely in healthcare infrastructure, access, and maturity. She sees her task as creating bridges between global ambition and local expertise. “You can’t apply a single model everywhere,” she says. “Flexibility is not a weakness. It’s what keeps an organisation strong.”
In regions where collaboration is the currency of progress, she prioritises reliability and consistency over short-term gain. “The real measure of success is when partners still want to work with you ten years later,” she notes with a smile.
Leading with empathy
The international markets Andrea oversees are among the most complex in global healthcare. Economic cycles, pricing pressures, and political shifts are constant companions. Yet she has learned to see volatility as an opportunity to lead differently. “When things get uncertain, people look for stability,” she says. “That’s when empathy matters most. When you need to make decisions that affect others’ livelihoods.”
There were times when external changes, regulatory updates, supply disruptions, and unexpected policy shifts tested long-standing relationships. “In those moments you can’t retreat behind procedures,” she reflects. “You have to pick up the phone, talk openly, and find solutions together.”
Empathy, she believes, is not sentimentality; it is strategy. “It keeps you grounded when the world is moving fast.” The leaders who succeed, she adds, are the ones who stay calm, communicate transparently, and keep their promises when circumstances evolve.
She often draws parallels between leadership and navigation. “You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust the sails,” she says. “If you listen closely to your crew, you’ll know when to change course.”
Inclusion has also been central to Andrea’s leadership philosophy. She believes that diverse perspectives lead to stronger ideas and better outcomes. “You get the best from people when they feel heard and respected,” she says. “That’s when teams really start to grow.”
Rather than viewing inclusion as an initiative, she treats it as a daily discipline, listening actively, inviting challenge, and creating space for different viewpoints to shape outcomes. She also dedicates time to mentoring emerging leaders across markets, encouraging them to find confidence in their voice and perspective. “When people feel they belong,” she notes, “they bring their full creativity. That’s where transformation begins.”
Her commitment goes beyond mentorship. Andrea has championed cross-regional workshops and peer-learning programmes where ideas travel freely between markets. “Leadership is about connecting dots,” she explains. “Sometimes the best innovation comes from listening to the quietest voices in the room.”
The COVID-19 pandemic marked one of the greatest tests of that philosophy. In 2020, as the Latin American and Asia-Pacific regions were added to her responsibility, Andrea suddenly found herself leading an even broader network of teams, just as borders were closing and travel had come to a standstill. With healthcare systems under strain, her team had to find new ways to collaborate virtually across time zones. “Suddenly, the personal connections we relied on had to be rebuilt through screens,” she recalls. “It taught us that trust doesn’t depend on proximity, but rather on consistency.”
Andrea instituted daily check-ins during the crisis to maintain connection. “We used those moments to ask how people were really doing,” she says. “It reminded us that leadership is ultimately human.” Regular communication and empathy became the glue holding global teams together. The experience reinforced her long-held belief that resilience is not only a process but a culture. “When people trust each other,” she says, “they adapt faster than any plan can predict.”
Managing across time zones
Managing teams across twenty time zones demands discipline and empathy in equal measure. Andrea describes her calendar as “a map of the world,” with early-morning calls to Asia followed by evening discussions with Latin America. To stay connected, she insists on clarity and rhythm: consistent meetings, shared documentation, and open access to decision-making processes.
Yet she never underestimates the power of small gestures. “A quick thank you message after a long project can mean more than a detailed performance review,” she says. “People remember how you made them feel when the pressure was on.”
She has seen how culture shapes communication styles and encourages her teams to learn from one another. Direct feedback from European colleagues balanced by the consensus-building valued in Asia. “Understanding those nuances,” she says, “is what makes global leadership both challenging and rewarding.”
Andrea’s approach has inspired a sense of continuity even in far-flung regions. Her teams often describe feeling part of something larger than geography, a shared culture of respect, curiosity, and follow-through. “If you keep that alive,” she says, “distance disappears.”
Over the years, Andrea’s definition of success has evolved. Early in her career, she measured achievement through targets and titles. With experience came perspective. “Now success for me is when the people around me grow,” she says. “When a colleague I once mentored becomes a confident leader, that’s the most rewarding result.”
This shift mirrors a broader change in how leadership is viewed. Less about authority, more about impact. “You realise that leadership isn’t something you take,” she explains. “It’s something others give you, because they trust you to use it well.”
Her reflections resonate strongly with the new generation entering international business, many of whom seek meaning alongside career progression. Andrea often reminds them that influence is earned not through status but through credibility. “People don’t follow titles,” she says. “They follow consistency.”
Mentorship remains one of her greatest passions. She continues to coach professionals across regions, often serving as a sounding board for those navigating global roles for the first time. Her advice is simple: stay curious. “Curiosity opens doors that strategy alone never will,” she says. “If you keep asking questions, you’ll find better answers.”
She encourages rising leaders to invest in cross-cultural understanding by spending time in local markets, learning from partners, and seeking feedback beyond their comfort zone. “In a global role,” she notes, “your best teachers are rarely in your office.”
When she speaks to younger colleagues about leadership, she often reminds them that the most powerful moments rarely happen in boardrooms. “Sometimes it’s a conversation in a corridor, or a small piece of feedback that changes someone’s path,” she says. “If you can make people feel seen and supported, you’ve already led.”
That mindset has shaped her own journey. Whether in a meeting room in Frankfurt or on a call with a partner in Tokyo, Andrea begins each interaction with the same habit that started her career: listening first. “If you really listen,” she says, “people will tell you everything you need to know to make the right decision.”
Andrea’s story is one of consistency and quiet conviction. She has built her career on qualities that rarely make headlines but always make a difference: reliability, empathy, and respect. Asked what advice she would give her younger self, she pauses before answering. “Don’t rush,” she says finally. “Take time to listen. You will always find a suitable way forward.”
Her words echo the philosophy that has guided her from the start. Whether leading teams through uncertainty or building partnerships across cultures, Andrea von der Lippe’s success rests on a deceptively simple principle—one that transcends industries and borders alike:
Leadership begins not with speaking, but with listening.
Author Bio
Andrea von der Lippe serves as President, International Markets at a global specialty healthcare company, overseeing commercial strategy and partner operations across Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and other emerging regions. She has more than thirty years of experience across consumer, aesthetics, and therapeutic sectors, with a focus on partnership development, cultural intelligence, and inclusive leadership.
