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Profile: Luke, 32 Studied: Pharmacy, Otago, New Zealand Position: Market Access Executive, AstraZeneca Time in Industry: 2.5 years |
I took my first steps into the pharmaceutical industry when I was working at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) and registered on the AstraZeneca website. It notified me about the position of therapy area specialist in medical affairs at the UK marketing company and I applied.
My interviews were pretty intense. There was a capability-based interview, a problem-solving exercise and a 10-minute presentation. I understood from the assessment centre that preparation would be key to success and I made sure I could answer questions on how the company operates, the portfolio of medicines and what I could add to the role.
Initially I was required to become well versed on the medicines and therapy area I would be working on. As I became more knowledgeable I was able to feed into sales and marketing campaign development.
Today I support AstraZeneca’s engagements with national market access organisations, such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK. I contribute to AstraZeneca’s medicine access strategy and submissions.
In addition to having a friendly work environment, Astra Zeneca has an active social club and organises various subsidised trips and supports sports activities at the local leisure centre.
Does AZ have any graduate schemes?
Yes, there are a wide number of opportunities ranging from R&D to marketing. Have a look at www.astrazeneca.co.uk for more details.
What helped you to get your foot in the door?
Work experience! Before joining AstraZeneca, I’d worked for the NHS for six years as a hospital pharmacist and more recently for the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA). It gave me great insight to the industry and its partners.
