Determination, scientific curiosity and an ethical vision of health guide the path of Silvia Nencioni, since 2009 CEO and President for Italy of Boiron, a French pharmaceutical group leader in the production and marketing of homeopathic medicines, and since 2023 President of Omeoimprese, the association that brings together companies in the homeopathic sector.
Protagonist of the column Ladies First, Silvia embodies a model of female leadership based on listening, inclusion and social responsibility. Graduated in pharmacy, she approached the world of natural medicine almost by chance, transforming that first interest into a thirty-year career dedicated to the diffusion of a more humane, respectful and sustainable therapeutic approach. At the helm of a branch with a strong female presence, Silvia looks to the future of homeopathy as an integral part of an increasingly person-oriented medicine, where “there are no oppositions, but alliances between conventional and complementary therapies, in the name of the patient’s well-being”.
Pharmaceuticals covers many sectors: why did you choose the homeopathic one?
When I graduated from pharmacy in 1995 I didn’t know about homeopathy; I had two job offers, two different fields and instinctively I chose Boiron due to the interest that was arising in me regarding natural medicine, mainly in the phytotherapeutic field. I was curious, but also doubtful: I always say that in the pharmaceutical technique book they made us write ‘jump’ to the chapter dedicated to homeopathic medicines. Well, thirty years have passed since then and as you can see I have never abandoned homeopathy. A choice dictated by a strong passion for this therapy, which in my opinion is extraordinary, for its potential and health benefits. Contributing to the development of homeopathy in Italy was the commitment I made to myself then and which I continue to make, with determination.
What was your first approach to the world of plants and how did it influence your professional choices?
We can say that it was my degree thesis in Pharmaceutical Botany on theArtemisia nitidaa plant that grows in the Apuan Alps, the key to my approach to the world of plants and homeopathy. The professor had chosen the plant, a species found in a couple of sites: I went with her technician at the time to collect it and took it to the botanical garden of Pisa, from whose university I graduated. It was unusual for that faculty to write an experimental thesis in botany instead of in the much more conventional chemistry. Well, this first approach to the world of plants was the beginning of a journey, or rather of a passion, which has characterized my entire work experience.
Can you tell us about your professional path and what led you to lead Boiron Italia?
In 1995, as soon as I graduated, I joined Boiron as a scientific pharmaceutical representative in Tuscany. After three years, the position of area manager became available and, even though I had only recently joined, I proposed myself and took on this role. I was responsible for the drug’s scientific representatives in Tuscany, Umbria and part of Liguria. In 2000 I was called to Milan and was offered to coordinate all the informants at a national level. Since then, over the years I have had increasingly demanding tasks, without ever carrying out the same task for more than two years. I took on the scientific direction and then expanded my range of skills to become CEO and President of the Italian branch, roles I have held for over ten years.
What does it mean to be CEO of a foreign company in Italy and what were the main challenges in your role?
Boiron is an international company present in 50 countries around the world. It was born in 1932 thanks to the vision of two twin brothers, the pharmacists Jean and Henri Boiron, who dedicated themselves to the production of homeopathic medicines to respond to a specific need of doctors and pharmacists: to be able to have quality, reliable and safe medicines for their patients. More than 90 years have passed since then, but homeopathy remains the core business of our company, an area for which we are recognized as leaders in the world and which over time we have added other health solutions such as medical devices, food supplements and dermocosmetics products.
France is our country of origin and has a market very similar to the Italian one, with some significant differences. I’ll give you an example: as far as homeopathy is concerned, in Italy it is not allowed to include therapeutic indications on the label. This is not because there are no fields of application for our drugs, but due to a limitation of transposition of the European Directive 2001/83/EC, which was never fully implemented in Legislative Decree 219/2006. You can imagine how much this represents a limit to the development of homeopathy in Italy, as well as being a great disservice to patients who cannot find indications on the dosage and fields of application of our medicines. Here, raising awareness among the institutions so that this legislation is updated, to allow the registration of homeopathic medicines with therapeutic indications, as already happens in other European countries, is certainly one of the challenges I set myself. A task also strengthened and supported by my role in Omeoimprese, the trade association of companies in the sector, of which I have been President for more than two years.
What are the priorities and values that guide Boiron Italia under your leadership?
I consider it a privilege to lead the Italian branch of a company that has a precise vision of health: to contribute to a more humane, respectful and sustainable medicine. For this reason, I consider it a priority to support the development of homeopathy and integrative medicine in Italy, also through discussions with institutions and dialogue with doctors and pharmacists. A vision that makes the freedom of therapeutic choice and the personalization of treatments its star… a concrete commitment so that there can be an alliance between conventional therapies and complementary solutions so as to consider the patient in his entirety, respecting his individual well-being.
Furthermore, I believe it is also important for companies to broaden their responsibility towards ethical and social issues. In our branch we have a dedicated working group that carries out projects related, for example, to sustainability, with particular attention to the territorial reality in which we find ourselves.
Homeopathy is often at the center of debates: how do you respond to those who criticize it and what, in your opinion, is not understood about its value?
We often read in the press well-known media figures who talk about homeopathy without knowledge of the facts, spreading messages that disorientate citizens and damage the dignity of doctors, pharmacists and businesses that operate seriously, in full compliance with the laws and the code of ethics. I believe it is essential to stick to the facts, not to indulge in misleading, superficial and sometimes sensationalist statements. The homeopathic medicine is, by law, a medicine recognized in Italy and Europe; for this reason it is dispensed only through the mediation of the pharmacist. We are talking about effective and reliable medicines, which do not interact with other medicines and which can be safely recommended to all patients, including pregnant women, children, even very young ones, and the multi-treated elderly.
Together with the other associations in the sector, we aim to ensure that medicine remains a place of meeting and not of conflict, of knowledge and not of derision. Homeopathy is not against anyone. On the contrary, it is for the patient, for health, for freedom of treatment and for science. This is a vision that I am sure will be appreciated by the millions of Italians who claim to use homeopathy. We are talking about over 18 million fellow citizens, as a recent Eumetra survey found.
Boiron Italia is a company with a strong female component (70% employees, half of the managers are women). How did you build this inclusive model and what does it mean for you to lead a company that focuses on gender equality?
I would like to make a premise: it is true that our company has a very important female presence, but we do not choose collaborators based on gender criteria. In the Italian branch, approximately 70% of employees are women, with a management board that has a more strongly represented female component. We arrived at this structure because we have always looked for people with skills suited to the role to be filled and attitudes in line with Boiron values, regardless of gender. I am strongly convinced that companies are enriched through all professional and cultural diversity; since last year, among other things, we have also obtained the Certification for Gender Equality, a further step that confirms the commitment and attention to the values of respect and listening that have always characterized us.
Is there anyone in particular who has been a source of inspiration for you in your career?
I often say that Christian Boiron, the son of one of the company’s founders, considered a philosopher-manager in France, was my mentor. A particularly significant moment in my career coincided with his arrival in Italy in 2005, where he personally took care of the development of the Italian branch until 2011. I immediately embraced his vision, according to which a fundamental role in the development of companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, is also played by the happiness of the employees. Happiness understood as an expression of one’s individuality, which one is called to demonstrate every day in the workplace, to contribute in a tangible way to the growth of the company. Her vision of leadership, attention to people and listening to every point of view, even the most uncomfortable ones, has shaped the manager I am today. Which constantly has the office door open and transparent walls, so as to encourage continuous exchange and make daily work a group project.
What are your passions outside of work?
My priority choice is the family, even the one of origin that is scattered throughout Italy. In my free time I like to travel; one of the best trips of my life was to Brazil, wonderful. I love the sea in summer, I have beautiful memories of one of my last holidays on a catamaran on the Aeolian Islands. However, I prefer the mountains in winter.
What is the future of homeopathy, in your opinion, and how do you imagine its integration with traditional medicine?
I am convinced that homeopathy is an extraordinary therapeutic opportunity, because it offers a global and personalized approach to the patient, allowing a 360° management not only of the disease, but of the patient. It is a safe and effective therapy, useful both in the acute phase of many disorders and in the treatment of various chronic pathologies. It can be used alone or alongside other therapies, without causing pharmacological interaction; it is suitable for patients of all ages, including pregnant women and even very young children. It is no coincidence that it is the best known and most appreciated complementary therapy in the world; Many investigations tell us this and the World Health Organization itself recognizes it. When I think about the future of homeopathy, two words come to mind: integrative medicine. We talk about it more and more and by this we mean that all medicine must work from an integrated perspective, without conflict. This is how I see the future, without dichotomies and preconceptions.
