NutraWomen Wednesday: Kim Drabik, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Plexus
For Drabik, every day at Plexus looks a little different, and that's what she enjoys the most.
"It's unpredictable, from managing reputation, navigating regulations, crisis management—all those things are really crucial,” she said.
“There is so much coming at us, but I would say that within the dietary supplement industry, there are so many of us that form natural coalitions to work together. So I think having all those people together through our trade association at CRN [Council for Responsible Nutrition], or just other people that are in the industry, it's like, wow, we're all facing the New York issue right now, right? So we're able to face that together. What are you doing for solutions? And everybody's willing to help out. So that it's kind of like rising tides lift all ships.”
Before making the leap to Plexus, Drabik worked at Amway for 28 years, where she held a variety of positions. This work took her to more than 25 countries, where she led compliance strategies and public policy negotiations.
Having a global perspective has allowed her to see different cultures, understand individual needs and adapt to different regions to fit strategies. She has also observed the health challenges that women face.
"Women are more at risk for things that are typically attributed to men," she said. "Women tend to put others first and yet there are so many things that we attribute to men. Women actually have higher risk factors for stroke, dementia, cancer, heart disease, diabetes. And these are all things that we should probably focus on more in the future for women."