I entered the world of scholarly publishing as a BSc graduate, wandering blindly into Wiley with the confidence of a small rodent walking into a lion’s den. When I realised the lions were actually sand cats and I was, if a rodent, a capybara, I grew in confidence and quickly took on the role of welcoming other graduate rodents into the company and mentoring them into the capybaras they had the potential to be.
Anyway … While running the editorial offices for journals and overseeing peer review had its charm, I realised my real passion was in building rapport with the editors and working with them to improve journal processes. I had the opportunity to work on a publication examining submission rates over time, where I rediscovered my enthusiasm for handling data and utilizing MS Excel. It became clear from here that my path lay in project management, so I began to look outside of publishing, ideally for a smaller company where I could have more say in the direction of the projects that I worked on.
Oxford PharmaGenesis was first introduced to me by a recruiter 2 years ago as ‘based in a lovely converted barn’. Intrigued, I immediately sent over all of my information, and successfully completed two interviews. I began my Oxford PharmaGenesis journey as an Account Executive.
I’ll admit to being charmed by the location, moving from a corporate cube made of glass, but the main appeal was the change of pace and responsibility. Rather than looking after journals, I was to look after the projects of a team, including the finances, which was a welcome new challenge. Trained by colleagues for the first 3 months, then allowed to run the account on my own, I felt both supported and trusted. Almost immediately I learned about Open Pharma and, having just moved from one of the largest open access publishers, volunteering some of my hours was a no-brainer.
Open Pharma allows me the freedom to stretch my content-creating muscles. In addition, I get to scratch the network-building itch. Within my first weeks on the project, I was in a meeting with Chris Winchester (our CEO) and two representatives from the World Health Organization, which at the time felt huge, now this is par for the course. Recently, I moved teams and increased my Open Pharma time. I’ve greatly enjoyed the change of projects, and the flexibility to dedicate more time to the projects where I can best utilize my skills.
Moving to medical communications seemed natural, and I often find my previous experience useful in my current role. I continue to find new things that I enjoy about my role, and I look forward to continuing to develop my skills as time goes on.
