News from Europe's pharmaceutical manufacturing industry coupled with upcoming events, and exclusive articles and interviews from industry experts. WEEKLY
The days of a 'job for life' at a Big Pharma company seem to be well behind us, whether we're at the bench or in the boardroom, but that doesn't mean we should view the employment landscape with trepidation. In fact, it's quite the opposite, according to a number of executives who have made successful moves from Big Pharma to small pharmaceutical companies and the agencies that helped them do it.
Oct 1, 2008 By:
Julian Upton Pharmaceutical Technology Europe Volume 20,
Issue 10
As the industry landscape evolves, more and more pharma professionals are moving away from old-style 'jobs for life' and into
less secure, but more challenging and, in many ways, more exciting work environments. This is particularly the case for senior-level
personnel and executives, who often regard the challenge of helping to build up a small, start-up company more highly than
they do a high salary or a spacious, oak-finished office. Similarly, there is growing acceptance that a bit of variety on
one's CV — indicating adaptability, flexibility and a willingness to take professional risks — is more attractive to a potential
employer than a lengthy time-served apprenticeship at a behemoth-sized pharma company.
It's no secret that big, multinational companies are not as safe as they once were. With recent redundancy announcements,
such as UCB's (Belgium) decision to cut 2000 staff, the marketplace is becoming more crowded with ex-Big Pharma employees
who may very much need, as well as want to, 'downshift.' The good news is that the small-to-medium-sized company landscape
is an attractive and fairly buoyant option for those looking to 'make their mark.'
Nicholas Franco
"In a small company, you can become a star; you can shine more," says Ugo Bettini, Vice President of Human Resources at Chiesi
(Italy). "We may offer less money than some other companies, but we give employees a visibility within the company that they
wouldn't necessarily get in Big Pharma. Salary won't be the motivating factor for someone coming here — it is a different
experience." Indeed, an experience that would involve relocating to the beautiful city of Parma.
At a decision-making level, this "different experience" may well be more creative — not a word that is particularly ubiquitous
in the world of pharmaceutical production. Still, it is one that can translate into business success in a crowded (or even
niche) market place. It also affords for a more individualistic approach, giving greater scope for personal contribution.
"It's a lot harder in a larger company to move the needle," says Nicholas Franco, Senior Vice President, International Commercial
Operations, with Axcan Pharma (France). "In a small company you can have much more influence on all aspects of the business
and you see the impact of your work much more rapidly, whereas in a big company it often gets diluted."
Small company benefits
Franco spent 16 years at a Big Pharma company before seeking out a creative change and he was enlightened by Axcan's approach,
which he sees as much more entrepreneurial. "Smaller companies tend to avoid a bureaucratic approach to things," he says.
"To be able to bring my experience to a small company as it grows to the next phase, while still keeping that creativity,
is very appealing to me."
The important thing to remember is that a career is about personal growth as much as it is about company growth. There has
to be individual fulfilment even in the most regulated and tightly focused of industries. Today's pharma industry is moving
more towards the individual, not just in terms of the treatments it is developing, but also with regard to the skill sets
that candidates acquire as they move from position to position.
Ugo Bettini
"If you stay with the same company, as I did (Novartis), for 15 years, you get institutionalized; you stagnate a bit," says
Dr Iain James, Vice President of Discovery Biology at Almac, (UK). "It's important now to move around and to see things from
different perspectives." This goes too for those who have already scaled great heights within the industry. Martin Hogan,
for example, is now managing director at Stethos International (UK), but formerly he was a country manager for Roche at the
age of 32. "That can be a big 'so what?' from a personal perspective, and then there's a big 'what next?'" he says. "Having
that great experience at a young age with a true global leader gave me a substantial learning experience in addition to a
new and valuable business perspective, which I've used to develop my career without the baggage of Big Pharma politics."
Such an approach can only make a candidate more appealing to the growing number of small pharma and biotech companies that
are actively looking for versatile senior staff. Jennifer Chase, MD of executive search agency Euromedica in France, offers
the recruiter perspective on this: "Diversity and the ability to adapt are the key qualities that companies are looking for
today, and to get those skills you have to put yourself in a situation where you're not necessarily in a secure environment.
If you leave your safe corporate culture and make a success outside of that, then obviously you've clearly displayed that
diversity and adaptability."
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