Vice president, site operations, Amgen
1. Describe your career growth and experience at Amgen. Amgen was my first job out of college. … I started on the manufacturing floor, in very basic tasks, and I’ll be celebrating my 25th anniversary [next] January. When I look back, I’ve taken roles across our manufacturing sites. I’ve taken roles with increasing responsibility. And I’ve now moved to a different function. … Most of my experience has been looking at what experiences I need to be valuable to Amgen.
2. Amgen has won Best Places to Work awards from Providence Business News for the past nine years. How does the company make its workplace an inspiring one? First and foremost, Amgen’s mission to serve patients is probably the piece that is most inspiring, not only to me as a leader but to our staff as well. Because we are a research, development and manufacturing company, we are able to bring innovative therapeutics to patients. By doing that, we’re able to make a real difference in the lives of our patients.
3. The company has made a priority of mentoring women. Why is that important? Amgen has always placed a strong emphasis and value on diversity and inclusion. Over the years, I continue to see, including myself as a woman leader, [women] being provided opportunities across the company.
4. What specific steps is the company taking to recruit women and minority candidates? We have a strong talent-management program, where we – early in their careers – identify top talent. We provide these individuals with mentors and sponsorships to make sure they’re progressing in their careers. Because Amgen values that diversity, as part of the strategy we make certain we are looking at programs and opportunities to make sure we are bringing in diverse candidates and that we are creating an environment where individuals want to work.
5. How does innovation play a role in Amgen’s manufacturing of complex biologics? That is probably the single word that [best] describes our company strategy. Because our mission is to serve patients, it’s really about [creating] those innovative medicines that make a big difference for our patients, and [identifying] where there is an unmet need. We’re not a “me too” company. We want to … [focus on] therapies that can make a big difference.