Client Context
A global pharmaceutical company needed a clearer, holistic understanding of women’s healthcare experiences to inform a cross-portfolio strategy addressing unmet needs and motivating deeper engagement.
The Business Challenge
The team needed to move beyond condition-specific thinking to understand how women navigate healthcare holistically — as patients and as primary decision-makers for their families. However, internal perspectives were siloed by brand, and there was no unifying view of women’s needs across the healthcare journey. Without this foundation, there was risk of underinvesting in critical gaps and missing broader opportunities to engage women more meaningfully.
Capabilities Applied
- Journey Mapping
- Opportunity Identification
- Strategic Roadmapping
- Executive Alignment
- Broad Enterprise Mobilization
Approach
HawkPartners drew insight and inspiration from all parts of the healthcare ecosystem, including payers and providers (like IDNs and retail pharmacy) addressing women as customers and advocacy groups representing women’s needs. HawkPartners conducted foundational qualitative research to capture women’s lived experiences navigating healthcare, complemented by “beacon” analyses of leading organizations addressing women’s unmet needs and winning in the marketplace. We synthesized these inputs into a clear set of cross-cutting themes and a practical framework highlighting where the healthcare system fails to serve women — and how leading players are responding. This created a shared fact base and strategic lens to guide internal alignment and future investment decisions.
Impact
This reframing elevated “women’s health” from a niche focus to a broader strategic imperative across brands and functions. The team aligned on a clearer set of priority unmet needs — including gaps in information, trust, and coordinated care — as well as the importance of designing more holistic, accessible experiences. In parallel, the beacon analysis showed that leading organizations are capturing value by addressing these needs through integrated, consumer-centered models, reinforcing the opportunity for differentiated strategy and investment. With this foundation, the organization was able to define a scalable accelerator model, guiding cross-functional initiatives, external partnerships, and increased visibility of women’s health priorities.
