Our Managing Director, Ricky Martin, took part in a career development panel at the 35th Annual Meeting of ESACT-UK 2025 earlier this month, where those attending were able to share market insights and thoughts on championing diversity and inclusion, alongside discussing how to support career and leadership development.
Joining Ricky on the panel were:
· Laura Griffiths: Innovation Lead Medicines Manufacturing at Innovate UK
· Cath Green: Professor of Clinical BioManufacturing, University of Oxford
· Hirra Hussein: Principal Scientist - Synthetic and Mammalian Upstream at CPI
· Alison Armstrong: Senior Director of Development Services at BioReliance
The panel was chaired by Stephen Stewart, Head of Skills & Apprenticeships at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult.
The topics covered included:
- Ensuring companies review their hiring process to reduce bias and increase consensus. This could be through blinded applications or even panel selection.
- The importance of organisations creating an environment where no topic is a taboo. This requires an effective review of all processes, more authentic human connections and speaking to others pre onboarding who work there to understand more.
- Effective mentorship both up and down the line, so that everyone has a voice and provides value, no matter how new or inexperienced they are.
- Reviewing shared parental leave options to better support both parents as they return to work and during the early years of childcare.
The discussions were so open on this panel that Ricky himself felt comfortable enough to share details of his own fertility journey and experiences with IVF, in hope that others will feel comfortable discussing their personal experiences moving forwards.
A Piece of Advice from Ricky:
“ I always try and look at things from a jobseeker’s perspective too, and I’ll always encourage, when looking for work you should be doing your due diligence about a company as much as they on you.
So at the very least, make sure you ask the question “what’s your company’s policy / approaches to creating an open and inclusive environment”. Or “how can I help your companies approach to diversity and inclusion”. “
Our team at Hyper Recruitment Solutions can always support you with such questioning!
Relocating to the US for your pharmaceutical career
If you'll be relocating to the US from another country, you may need a work visa.
The specific type of visa you need will depend on your country of origin, the company's needs and whether the employment is permanent or a temporary assignment. Your prospective employer will discuss this with you.
If you're looking for a career in the pharma industry, HRS can help! We work with top pharmaceutical employers on both sides of the Atlantic to find the right people for a range of different roles. Use the links below to browse the latest vacancies, or enquire now for more information.
