With a career defined by curiosity, courage and a passion for science, Silvia Piviali brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the role. Beginning in medical science back in 2001, her journey has spanned country hospitals, life science sales and research commercialisation — offering a unique blend of technical expertise and customer insight. After time spent consulting for a global manufacturer and working within academia at the University of Western Australia, Silvia joined Interpath to manage accounts across Western Australia and South Australia. Specialising in life sciences, with a keen interest in cell culture and regenerative medicine, she takes pride in building strong customer relationships and helping researchers and pathologists overcome everyday challenges. What truly drives Silvia is listening, learning and providing practical solutions that make a real difference — all while sharing an enduring passion for science.
What is your career background that makes you so suited to being an Interpath specialist?
I would describe my career as eclectic and non-linear! An infinite number of pathways were taken, usually preferring the most challenging, interesting and most resistance when it come to ‘what is next??’. What began as a graduate medical science career in 2001 working in country hospitals, turned into life science sales for the first time in 2005. I quickly realised that routine diagnostics was not something I wanted to be a part of long term, as I could see automation one day dominating the lab. Following 5 amazing years at InVitro Technologies, I took a career break to raise three children. During that time, I worked on anything ‘science related’ that I could to keep the knowledge fresh. I then consulted for a global manufacturer called Sartorius for 6.5 years which was incredible as staff were scattered all over the world and Australia. Taking another short break, I was lucky enough to work at University of Western Australia which looks to drives research across all areas but mostly in health & medicine. During that time I met some incredible researchers and made some great friends. Sadly that was only a 2 year contract but I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked at a Go8 and learn lots of new skills related to commercialisation & industry engagement.
Tell us about your role with Interpath? What is your area of expertise?
My with role with Interpath is curating the WA and SA accounts to be best of my ability. I will be spending most of my time at Universities, Institutes and Pathology (private and public) to leverage on my diagnostics experience, in Perth. With occasional travel to Adelaide which I really look forward to also! I would say my expertise is in life sciences with a special interest in cell culture & regenerative medicine. I also really enjoy the commercial aspect of the role such as potential customer-company analysis, keeping an eye on patented products in the market from competitors and deciding what our competitive edge may be. I like to use the phrase: What is our point of difference? And then once that is decided you can spend the time with the right end user assessing Features & Benefits of what we supply.
What most do you like about your role and why?
The absolute best part of my role is meeting with customers, pathology & research alike- listening to their pain points, stumbling blocks with processes & methods and providing small solutions via our product range which may contribute to better flow and efficiencies. Mostly, I just really love hearing about the Science!
When you started with Interpath what most surprised you?
I was not at all aware Interpath is now owned Bunzl. A huge global company! It is great to know I am a small part of a big story, well supported by professional business services such as HR, Finance, Marketing etc. Really adds depth to the role with room to reach out and continue to learn.
What are your main priorities for 2025?
To continue to learn off others, respond to our customers in an efficient manner even if it is “I will find out and get back to you”. To be readily available to established customers at the same time as building future business. To continue to upskill on the product range from our suppliers.
What do you expect the big industry trends to be of 2025?
As 2025 enters Q4, I would say that automation will continue to prevail in the market into 2026. Additionally, having a second tier supplier when your main one cannot supply. Consolidation also features frequently not only when it comes to the number of suppliers within organisations | but also the number of private pathology companies, so it is good to be aware of this too. Lastly, I would say optimising processes & procedures. the need to save money time and resources have never been so prevalent!
What’s the biggest challenge facing the customers in the industry?
Customers in the life science industry are dealing with a few big hurdles right now. Budgets are tight, and rising costs are forcing many labs and companies to cut back on spending or delay buying new equipment. On top of that, hiring freezes and staff shortages mean the people who are still there are stretched thin, juggling multiple roles and trying to keep everything running smoothly. To make things tougher, a lot of organisations are tied into contracts with preferred suppliers, which makes it hard to look around for better prices or newer, more innovative options. All of this adds up to a tricky situation where customers have to be extra careful with their money and choices. As a supplier, it means proving real value and reliability is more important than ever if they want to stand out and build lasting relationships.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned over the past 12-18 months?
Although I’ve only been working at Interpath Services for just over 2 months, some of my biggest lessons have been to be kind courteous patient and respectful as you never know what someone else is going through. And to always be professional in your endeavours.
Is there a message you’d like to share with your customers?
The main message I’d like to share to my customers is to please feel to reach out to me as often as you would like. I am here to help, listen, learn and I will get back to you!