In today’s rapidly evolving job market, organisations that mark themselves out as prioritising both personal and professional development are those that will attract the cream of the crop.
One such organisation is pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS). While its focus on innovation in drug discovery and manufacture is evident, this is only enhanced by a parallel commitment to the continuous learning and career growth of its employees.
A supportive work environment that champions personal and professional advancement has been Patrick Tracey’s experience of working with BMS. Having “jumped ship” from the construction industry in 2019, he is now manager in facilities & soft services; maintenance with BMS Ireland.
“Transitioning to a new career in a different industry is often challenging,” admits Tracey. “I first joined BMS in 2019 in the operations department as a bioprocessing associate (BPA) on the manufacturing floor in upstream manufacturing. Since then, my journey with BMS has been incredibly rewarding.”
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After six years as a BPA, Tracey decided a change was in order, and applied to the engineering department, one of the largest business units on the BMS campus in Cruiserath. He was encouraged to apply for his current role and was enthused: “I felt that all my experience in logistics, construction, transport and six years spent learning skills on the manufacturing floor had prepared me to apply for this role and I soon realised I could leverage all my transferable skills to transition into it. This was because the company, and any manager I had, had consistently invested in my growth through comprehensive training and personal development initiatives. This has really supported me in my career aspirations.”
This investment was in the form of coaching and mentoring from managers, upskilling opportunities, and site training programmes. More formally, BMS has also supported Tracey in his pursuit of higher education. “When working as a BPA, my shift schedule allowed me to allocate time to complete my third-level education – a biopharmaceutical processing degree at Sligo IT,” he explains.
As a worker in pharmaceutical manufacturing, the end user – the patient – is never far from Tracey’s mind. “The culture at BMS is centred around our patients, placing them at the forefront of everything we do,” he says. “Our daily tasks involve utilising cutting-edge technology to deliver medicines to those who are critically ill. Many of us have family members who have been affected by these diseases, so this patient-focused approach and commitment to scientific excellence motivates me every day – it’s the patient purpose that really motivates me.”
Having first begun as a contractor working in manufacturing upstream support, after three years Laura Fitzpatrick took on a role as a quality systems specialist in the quality assurance team on the BMS Cruiserath campus. Almost immediately she began to plan her next career move, encouraged by her manager at the time.
“My manager encouraged me to use my development plan and our one-to-one meetings to really work towards my next role in my career,” Fitzpatrick explains. “When I had heard about the investment for BMS Cruiserath Campus, I knew that this was something I wanted to pursue so I added a drug product associate role as my next career move into the development plan. I knew what this role would entail, and it was something I was confident in – I love working on start-up projects and being involved in something from very beginning, the experience and knowledge you receive is second to none.”
Fitzpatrick achieved her goal last year, becoming a senior drug product associate in the new Sterile Drug Product facility at Cruiserath. She credits the mentorship programme run by the Cultivating Leadership, Innovation and Multigenerational Belonging CLIMB People and Business Resource Group (PBRG) and her involvement in the Bristol Myers Squibb Network of Women (B-Now) PBRG in helping her get to this point. “I was paired with a mentor who guided me through my career progression and provided me with additional tools. This mentorship has been invaluable in helping me navigate challenges and identify opportunities for growth,” she says. Fitzpatrick also cites the regular performance reviews, development plan one to one meetings, and career development discussions as being “invaluable” in enabling her to set clear goals and track her progress. “This structured approach has ensured that I am always working towards my career objectives – and ultimately supported me to where I am today.”
BMS is also supporting Fitzpatrick in pursuing a Level 8 qualification in pharmaceutical business. “This is a two-year honours degree that requires me to attend classes two evenings a week and every second Saturday. It’s tough but thoroughly enjoyable,” she says.
Fitzpatrick also praises the inclusive culture at BMS, saying it fosters a sense of belonging and contributes hugely to overall employee satisfaction and productivity. “BMS implements policies that support work-life balance, such as flexible working hours and remote work options,” she explains. “I am also a mental health ambassador, so I am certified in mental health first aid.”
All of this is underpinned by the motivation that comes from working for a pharmaceutical company that is involved in cutting edge research and provides essential medicines, Fitzpatrick adds. “Knowing that your work directly contributes to improving health outcomes is deeply fulfilling and really drives my ambition.”
Padraig Landers is a senior director in Sterile Drug Product Operations at BMS Cruiserath, having joined the company nine years ago as an associate director of manufacturing technology and moving to the site quality head role for four years before his current role in 2023. “The combination of working for BMS, the diversity of life changing medicines in the pipeline, and the lure of a drug product site on our campus convinced me to make my most recent move,” he explains. “Across all my experiences at Cruiserath to date I have gained an end-to-end appreciation of the science and manufacturing processes and quality systems that oversee current good manufacturing practice and the delivery of life changing medicines to patients.”
Taking on roles with different leadership and technical requirements was not necessarily based on careful and tactical career considerations, admits Landers. “I believe that a career does not need to be linear, and I have been very open minded throughout mine and chased experience as opposed to trajectory, moving from various departments and developing skills and capabilities along the way.” He echoes Fitzpatrick, saying mentorship and encouragement from his managers helped him along the way, as well as the upskilling opportunities provided by BMS.
Landers also emphasises the satisfaction and motivation he gets from considering the end user – the patient. “What has been clear to me throughout my years in this industry is that I know what I derive value from. This includes working in a team environment, winning for the people who I work with – but, most importantly, the patients who we serve.”
