In this episode of Spread Love in Organizations, Naji Gehchan welcomes Dr. Basil Upton, executive business director at Eli Lilly, servant leader, and catalyst behind the podcast itself. Basil shares his deeply personal journey from growing up in Maine under the guidance of his grandparents to building a 24-year career in healthcare. With a background in psychology and counseling, Basil reflects on how his desire to help others ultimately led him to pharmaceutical leadership, where purpose, performance, and people intersect.

The conversation dives into Basil’s doctoral research in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation, which examined how leadership styles influence employee engagement during periods of both strong and weak performance. His findings challenge conventional thinking: engagement is driven not by shifting leadership styles, but by consistent servant leadership behaviors — active listening, empathy, recognition, and collaboration — especially during challenging times. Unexpectedly, Basil also highlights the powerful role of peer relationships and teamwork, sometimes outweighing even a supervisor’s influence on engagement.

Together, Naji and Basil explore what it truly means to “spread love in organizations.” They challenge leaders to rethink engagement as a core performance metric, not a soft concept, and to recognize the profound impact leadership has on people’s lives beyond work. Basil leaves listeners with a call to action for healthcare leaders everywhere: seek feedback, lead with humility and accountability, embed servant leadership into the DNA of organizations, and intentionally create environments where people — and patients — can truly thrive.

"The impact a leader has on someone’s life beyond work is tremendous."

MEET OUR GUEST Dr. Basil Upton, Executive Business Director at Eli Lilly.

Basil is a purpose driven transformational and servant leader dedicated to helping others reach their potential. He is entering his 24th year with Eli Lilly and Company where he is an executive business director. His teams have consistently exceeded performance expectations for numerous years. Basil’s work accomplishments include business director of the year, Elite coach, Platinum Performer, and recipient of several Coaching Awards. In the summer of 2024, Basil graduated from Marymount University in Arlington, VA with a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation. He studied how a supervisor’s leadership style affects the engagement of pharmaceutical sales professionals during periods of varied sales performance for his dissertation.

In this special episode, part of our collaboration with the Biosciences Lebanese International Network (BIOLINK), I had the joy of welcoming an extraordinary leader whose career sits at the intersection of science, innovation, and purpose: Rania Abou Samra, Vice President and Head of Innovation & R&D for Nestlé Middle East and North Africa. With more than two decades of experience across global roles in nutrition, health science, and product development, Rania brings a rare blend of deep scientific expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and human-centered leadership. Her mission has remained unwavering since her days studying Nutrition and Dietetics at AUB and later completing a PhD in Obesity and Nutrition at the University of Toronto: advancing nutrition to positively impact lives.

Rania takes us on a moving journey from her childhood in northern Lebanon — where an early fascination with biology sparked her dream of fighting malnutrition — to her unexpected leap from academia into the global food industry. She shares how Nestlé’s scale allows her teams to deliver meaningful change, from fortifying foods in underserved regions to designing science-based innovations rooted in prevention rather than treatment. We dive into the evolving landscape of nutrition, from the rise of GLP-1 therapies to the growing attention on ultra-processed foods, and Rania illuminates how food companies can play a critical role in helping people lose weight safely, protect muscle mass, and maintain overall health in a world where these medications are becoming mainstream.

We also explore Rania’s leadership journey across cultures — from Lebanon to Switzerland, the U.S., and now Dubai. She speaks candidly about navigating emotional expression, resilience shaped by her upbringing, and the balancing act of staying true to her identity while adapting to global environments. Her reflections on cultural agility, authenticity, and the lessons she’s carried with her across continents offer a powerful reminder of what it means to lead with purpose. Rania’s story is one of passion, courage, and an unshakeable belief in the power of science to improve lives — and it’s truly inspiring to hear how she continues to spread impact through innovation in nutrition.

"Innovation without impact is meaningless; the goal is to create solutions that truly improve lives."

MEET OUR GUEST Rania Abou Samra, Vice President and Head of Innovation & R&D for Nestlé Middle East and North Africa.

Rania Abou Samra has served as the Vice President and Head of Innovation and Research & Development at Nestlé Middle East and North Africa since April 2025. With over 20 years of experience in Nutrition and R&D, she has a strong technical and scientific background that drives innovation forward.

Prior to her current role, Rania assumed the position of Global Head of Product & Technology Development for Nestlé Health Science in January 2022, following her tenure as Vice President of Research and Development at the Vital Proteins business.

Rania's professional journey includes her previous roles as Global Director of Science and Technology at Nestlé Health Science and Global R&D Lead for Consumer Care. Across various Nestlé research centers, she has lent her expertise to diverse sectors as well as her entrepreneurial spirit, translating scientific and technical insights into breakthrough innovations for both patients and consumers.

She earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Nutrition and Dietetics from the American University of Beirut, followed by a PhD in Obesity and Nutrition from the University of Toronto.

Rania aligns her mission with her passion to advance nutrition and positively impact lives through science. Her unwavering commitment to making the benefits of nutrition accessible to all remains a driving force in her personal and professional pursuits.

More Episode with BIOLINKERS can be found here.

In this inspiring episode of SpreadLove in Organizations, in partnership with the Termeer Institute, host Naji Gehchan welcomes Charlene Son Rigby, CEO of Global Genes, who shares the deeply personal journey that brought her into the rare disease space. After years of searching for a diagnosis, her daughter was found to have STXBP1, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder. That life-altering moment led Charlene to co-found the STXBP1 Foundation, driven by the urgent need to accelerate research and give families like hers a path toward hope. Her story bridges science, advocacy, and parenthood—reshaping her career and purpose.

Charlene discusses how this experience led her from the tech and genomics industry to nonprofit leadership, first with RareX and now with Global Genes. She highlights the organization’s mission: to empower rare disease communities through support, education, and research. Recognizing that much of early progress in rare diseases now begins with patients themselves, Charlene explains the rise of the “next-generation advocate”—families who build data, mobilize researchers, and initiate therapeutic development even in ultra-rare conditions. The merger of RareX and Global Genes was designed to strengthen this ecosystem and give advocates the tools they need to drive discovery.

Looking ahead, Charlene is optimistic about the future of therapeutic development, especially as genetic tools and platform approaches open the door to faster, more scalable progress. Yet challenges remain - particularly the economic and regulatory barriers that hinder early-stage rare disease research. She calls for continued collaboration, smarter infrastructure, and systems designed to make innovation accessible to even the smallest patient communities. Above all, Charlene emphasizes leadership rooted in clarity, conviction, and hope - standing tall in what matters as we work toward cures for all.

"Really focusing on what matters, and standing tall in that, is so important."

MEET OUR GUESTS Charlene Son Rigby, CEO of Global Genes.

Charlene Son Rigby is Chief Executive Officer of Global Genes. Charlene has spent her career building organizations at the intersection of data, technology, and life sciences. Charlene led the merger between Global Genes and RARE-X, a health technology nonprofit. She was previously Chief Business Officer at Fabric Genomics and held executive roles at enterprise software and genomics companies, including Oracle and Doubletwist. She started her career in neuroscience research at Roche. When Charlene’s daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease, she co-founded the STXBP1 Foundation. She is committed to finding a cure for her daughter’s disorder. Charlene’s unplanned connection between her personal life and profession has helped push forward the search for a cure for her daughter and kids like her, and given her work deeper meaning. Charlene is a Termeer Scholar. She holds a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley.

More episodes with Termeer Institute can be found here, or on your favorite Podcast App.