NutraWomen Wednesday: Andrea Wong, PhD, SVP of scientific and regulatory affairs, CRN

However, she didn’t exactly plan for her career to play out this way.

“I don't think that any child ever dreams of science and regulatory affairs as a career,” said Wong. “For me, graduating as a toxicologist at graduate school, I thought my two options were academia or pharma. I had no idea that there was this whole world of regulatory affairs in food and nutrition. And it was only when I entered consulting that I saw there was so much to learn.”

Wong started off in consulting and later joined CRN in 2013 as a team member at CRN before being offered her senior role.

“One of the opportunities to lead the team came up. I had just returned from maternity leave, so it really was a struggle for me to try and make a decision. On the one hand, it was an amazing opportunity. But I also wanted to balance doing a great job at work with being a good mother. And that is the most important job in the world to me. So, it took a while for me to figure things out. But ultimately, I did make the decision to pursue the role. I'm so glad I did because it's a great time to be in this industry and to have a leadership role. But also importantly, I really want my daughter to see her mom fulfilled in what she does to be successful.”

Reflecting on the industry, Wong said she has been very fortunate to work with women who are incredibly talented, kind and supportive.

“When we lift each other up, I feel like we all win. And so to see women in leadership positions in the industry is very empowering.”