Upsher-Smith’s Anderson among Twin Cities’ 2021 Women in Business honorees

Upsher-Smith Labs is in a celebratory mood. Cheryl Beal Anderson, the company’s vice president of global regulatory affairs has been selected as a 2021 Women in Business Honoree by The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

All honorees will be featured in the Oct. 15 Women in Business special publication and celebrated during a Monday, Oct. 18 event at Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal recognized 51 women, plus one Career Achievement honoree, for their professional achievements and contributions to the Twin Cities community. They represent a broad range of industries, including education, real estate, health care and insurance, and include entrepreneurs at startups and C-level executives at large corporations.

Upsher-Smith noted that Anderson represents an executive leader in the pharmaceutical industry, working for a manufacturer of both generic and brand medications that serves a wide variety of patient needs. She has extensive experience bringing products through the Food and Drug Administration approval process and previously held leadership roles at Lundbeck, Eli Lilly, Parke-Davis and Pfizer Global Research and Development. Prior to that, she was an assistant professor of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin.

Anderson leads Upsher-Smith’s global regulatory affairs functions with her team, helping advance the company’s products and programs, as well as its expansion into its new manufacturing facility. In May, she was appointed to the Upsher-Smith executive team, making her the first person of color and sole woman serving on the team. As a member of the company’s executive team, she shares responsibility with other Upsher-Smith senior leaders to advance strategies for business success. She serves as an executive sponsor of Upsher-Smith’s inaugural Women’s Employee Resource Group, launched as part of the company’s larger diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. 

Besides her work at Upsher-Smith, Anderson is a member of  several industry organizations, including the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals, Women’s Business Leaders in Healthcare, American Society of Quality and Regulatory Affairs Professional Society. She has also been a long-time member and past chapter president of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Delta Phi Omega Chapter and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter of The Links. She lends her experience to the 2021 Debutante Cotillion and Scholarship Program, and the Services to Youth Committee. She also has a long track record of advocating for youth programs and is excited to be a part of introducing 18 “best and brightest” debutantes that are high school junior and senior African-American girls.