Kenvue is made up of an agile and energized team, united by an unwavering courage to see and solve everyday care needs with science-backed, care-forward experiences.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we celebrate Kenvuers Rita Axelsson Florio, Purvi Fahari and Havy Nguyen, their journeys in consumer health and how they support and care for women at Kenvue.
Rita Axelsson Florio, MSc, MBA
Senior Medical Affairs Executive, Nordic Region
Even as a child, Rita Axelsson Florio knew when she grew up, she wanted to help spread good health. But it was another strong woman in her life that inspired her career in the consumer health industry, her grandmother.
“Growing up, my Nona suffered from diabetes, which was quite advanced and caused her to lose most of her eyesight,” Florio said. “My father was working, my mother was busy, so she usually asked me to read her prescription labels for her. During those years, I thought to myself, something must be done. People should be able to understand.”
Today, Florio is a Senior Medical Affairs Executive in the Nordic Region at Kenvue, working primarily on Nicorette. She works to ensure what is communicated to consumers and healthcare professionals is both medically correct and compliant.
“By working with medical, we’re on the front line of proving Kenvue’s core value: We earn trust with science. Trust is fundamental to achieving success,” she said.
As she looks back on her accomplished career, one moment in particular stands out.
“I had just started in a new industry and approached my boss at the time, explaining that I was feeling like I didn’t know anything and that the others around me knew much more than I did. I’ll never forget how she responded,” Florio said. “She asked me, ‘What exactly don’t you know?’ Then she looked at me, and she said, ‘We hired you because of what you know and can do. Not because of what you don’t know and cannot do.’”
“What I didn’t know at the time was I was suffering from ‘imposter syndrome.’ That’s why it’s especially important to work for a company that supports you. When we look at leadership teams at Kenvue, we see plenty of capable, strong women, including in fields like R&D that are typically male dominated,” she said.
“Then you have our Kenvuer Impact Network, Women at Kenvue, which serves as a unique activity where women can exchange their experiences and grow together. But what further sets it apart is that it’s inclusive. My male colleagues also join these meetings to learn from us and show their support.”
Now, Florio pays it forward, conducting trainings and mentorship programs that help younger women feel the same support she did.
“If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be ‘I trust you, Rita,’” she says. “It’s not easy when we’re younger, but trust your guts and your heart and it will lead you down the right path.”
Purvi Farahi
Global Lead, Self Care
A daughter of Indian immigrants, Purvi Farahi stands on the shoulders of her parents — her father who arrived in the United States with $4 in his pocket, and her mother who pursued a career in dentistry, instilling the importance of fulfilling yourself both professionally and personally.
“I grew up knowing balance is something that I could strike after seeing how my mother had navigated it growing up,” Farahi said.
Now, as Global Lead of Self Care at Kenvue, Farahi starts her day early, striking that balance often with a 7 a.m. call with a team in Asia and getting her daughter ready for the school day.
“What I love about marketing is that it’s kind of like solving a puzzle: trying to understand an insight and then how to deliver on that insight and create solutions for consumers,” she said. “In a typical day, I work with our BDTs — or business development teams — who are the commercial leaders responsible for creating our brand strategies and determining how we’re going to drive growth over a short- and long-term horizon.”
Fahari started with Kenvue directly out of business school, eager and excited to work on products that would ultimately solve problems in the lives of consumers. And as a 20+ year veteran working on our iconic portfolio of brands, Farahi credits the importance of female leaders in her growth.
“With the exception of a few roles, I’ve had always either worked for a woman or had a woman senior to me, and I’ve been doing this for quite some time,” she said. “Kenvue Leadership embraces our flexible work arrangements, providing the flexibility to all employees to make family commitments, like your kid’s 4 o’clock soccer game. Those things are welcome, and people are encouraged to be their full selves.”
“If I can offer anything to our younger talent, it’s the reassurance that there is so much people can do. It’s about bold ambition and knowing — and believing in — what’s possible. If I could tell something to my younger self, I’d say, ‘Dream big and go for it.’”
When she’s not leading self-care efforts at Kenvue or traveling, Farahi enjoys the simplicity of day-to-day life with her family.
“From sitting on the couch and binge-watching a show to making something in the kitchen, being with my family is the fuel that keeps me going,” she said.
Havy Nguyen
Senior Director, Technology Strategy and Office of the CTDO Lead
Five years ago, Havy Nguyen was a consultant, building the strategy of what data and AI would become at Kenvue. Today, she’s the Senior Director of Technology Strategy and Office of the Chief Technology & Data Officer.
“For a long time, I worked with Kenvue as a client, and three years ago, I joined full-time, excited about the opportunity to render the data and AI strategy we had worked on into practical execution,” Nguyen said.
Across technology at Kenvue, Nguyen covers special projects, communications change management and operations for our technology and data teams, serving every brand and every market.
"The biggest hook for me in joining Kenvue and leaving my long-time consulting career behind was simple,” she said. “I knew the people, the intention and the purpose and vision of the company. I was able to build Kenvue’s technology agenda from the ground up and be a part of the foundational efforts that we needed to modernize our technology and infrastructure.”
However, even with a road full of opportunity ahead, her job acceptance wasn’t without serious consideration.
“The technology industry has always been predominantly male, and then I had to consider being a woman of color in technology as well,” she said. “A lot of times people give you accolades for breaking the glass ceiling, but I didn’t want the weight of breaking the glass ceiling.”
Nguyen wanted to be somewhere she felt she belonged.
“I wanted to be in a company that already had people that looked like me, whether that’s female or a person of color,” she said. “And at Kenvue, I saw a lot of women in positions of power and influence. We weren’t playing catching up.”
One of the key ways Kenvue upholds its commitment to put people first is through the Kenvuer Impact Network, which brings together people who identify with and allies of various groups of people and walks of life.
"[Kenvuer Impact Networks] are so rich and beautiful in what they do because it’s rooted in how we make each other successful, celebrate what’s different and acknowledge the different tools needed to succeed,” she said.
Outside of the office, Nguyen has learned what it really means to unplug from technology — sharing her and her family’s goal of visiting all of the U.S. national parks.
“We have been to 20 so far,” she said, “so we have a few more to go but it’s about 20 years of tradition!”