What first attracted you to J&J?
After graduating, something that was important to me in a potential employer was a good work-life balance. For a global company that has both legacy and credibility, J&J still offered me control over my lifestyle and allowed me to thrive both in my professional career and in my personal life.
At J&J, we look at talent from a prospective potential, rather than an objective potential, which I love. I had no sales or healthcare experience before joining the company, but had played professional sports and my hiring manager spotted a transferable skill set; self-awareness, resilience, and drive. She chose to believe in those soft skills, which I’ll always be grateful for.
During the interview process, the company policy & Credo stood out to me in comparison to competitors.
The J&J Credo brings home what’s important, especially the part about looking after our employees, and that’s something I still live into in my position as a people manager now.
What has been your J&J career journey?
I joined J&J as an Ethicon Sales Rep, and it was my first job out of university. Over the last 16 years, I’ve worked across most of the franchises in MedTech, tackled various roles, and lived in some of the most beautiful regions across the world. I’ve found at J&J that I’ve experienced both great advocates, and great people, which has made it easy to stay. Beyond that, what still excites me about this company is that there’s always a new opportunity around the corner.
I was born and raised in Yorkshire, but since joining J&J I’ve traveled in roles that were based in London, Middle East & Prague, progressing from Sales, Regional Sales, Business Development, Marketing, Product Management, PMO, Business Unit Director and now General Manager.
I like my life to be fast-paced, and J&J has helped me to stay energised and given me the platform to travel all over the world and experience cultural diversity. It’s one of my favourite things about working for a global corporation of this size.
What makes you proud to work here?
Something I believe in is owning your path and being accountable for your career. J&J supports this belief with a culture that nurtures high-performing talent.
In my experience, coming from a working-class background and with no healthcare qualifications, but still working alongside colleagues that recognise and reward ambition has been a benefactor in the position I’m in today.
It’s important to me that I’m authentic and J&J allows me to be that. Whether it’s me at 100% or me at 40%, I’ve always felt comfortable challenging others, and now, as a people leader, I appreciate being challenged in return. It’s one of the skills I brought with me to this company from my time in the sporting world; accepting other people’s perspectives and being ‘coachable’. But what makes me most proud about working at J&J is how much we support our communities.
It’s a part of our Credo and I can see the impact we make in our local communities just by looking out of the window of our office in Leeds. Again, coming from humble beginnings of my own and in a community not far from where we are based in Leeds, I feel lucky to be working for a global corporation that truly values its corporate social responsibility, even at a local level.
What advice do you have for those who want to join J&J?
Connections are so important in an organisation of this scale, and there’s a huge opportunity to do that at J&J too, so my advice would be to connect well when you join the organisation. One thing about this company is that you will always be in a room with ambitious people, no matter where they are in their career journey, so definitely take advantage of it.
