Monday
Monday morning and I treat myself at the Costa Drive Thru en route to work, although I’m not a coffee drinker so it’s just a large cup of breakfast tea to kick start my day!
Diary management is essential in our busy environment, so that’s often where I start first thing on a Monday, checking that all meetings are noted, rooms are booked, and colleagues know where they’ve got to be and when.
Roslin gives me a very pleasant view on a sunny evening but I can’t say the same when there’s torrential rain!
I check in with my boss, Ingenza’s COO Jaymin Amin, to plan for the week ahead and add items to general operations, which is the first and foremost part of my job. This can range from getting paperwork signed off and arranging colleagues’ travel plans to monitoring company spend and negotiating with engineers or suppliers!
On Monday afternoons we hold a weekly meeting for the biology department team and this week I’ll be presenting an opportunity to teach PCR techniques to a local school. This gives us the chance to showcase our capabilities to the local community, and is great for staff personal development.
As the day draws to a close, I often like to get a run done and dusted at the start of the week. Roslin gives me a very pleasant view on a sunny evening but I can’t say the same when there’s torrential rain!
Tuesday
Ingenza is well known as a collaborator, working with many different partners. Today we have visitors from Plymouth University and The National Physical Laboratory – partners on an Innovate UK grant project – for a quarterly update meeting to check that the project is meeting budgets and timelines.
A major factor in our success is giving all visitors to Ingenza the best VIP treatment we can
A major factor in our success is giving all visitors to Ingenza the best VIP treatment we can. Making our customers, associates and partners feel at home and at ease when they visit us is an important part of our reputation as the partner of choice.
The meeting is a great success and I steal the opportunity to snap a photo of our MD Ian Fotheringham and Mat Upton from Plymouth University. Ingenza has worked closely with Mat for several years on the development of an efficient, scalable microbial production system for epidermicin (a new topical antibiotic against MRSA).
My colleague Nicole has brought several homemade cakes into the office today to celebrate her birthday and I’ve succumbed! The sun is surprisingly still shining so I set off on another after work run to end the day on a high – oh, and to work off the cake!
Wednesday
Today starts early with a 6.20am train down to London for a CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) event – Digital Marketing for Medical Marketers – a great tailored event for someone doing what I do.
I love London very much, the general hustle and bustle, the copious number of unique restaurants and bars, and just the general vibe – what’s not to love?! Not to mention the glorious weather too compared to Edinburgh! But I am a home girl and ‘The Auld Reekie’ is my forever city.
I have been a member of the CIM for three years now and think it’s extremely important, especially for a varied role like mine, to keep up to date with current marketing trends. Showcasing Ingenza and sharing our story is the part of my job that I enjoy the most and, with my nine year anniversary with the company fast approaching, I can satisfyingly say that we are now very well known within the UK life sciences and industrial biotechnology communities.
My First Class Honours Degree was in Marketing Management so never did I think I would end up in science. Many people to this day still believe you need a science background to work in science, but Ingenza has employed several modern apprentices straight from high school, many aged just 17. There’s also an emphasis on promoting from within, so you don’t need a particular academic qualification to reach a certain level within the company.
It’s been a great CIM event, lots of new and refreshing tips, and I met many new faces. Now for a 4 and a half train journey home – oh, and a 90 minute delay!
Thursday
Feeling a little tired this morning but lots to crack on with as we’re planning our summer relocation to The Roslin Innovation Centre. My colleague Fraser and I are leading the move at Ingenza and it’s time for an update on interiors – the exciting part!
My colleague Fraser and I are leading the move at Ingenza and it’s time for an update on interiors – the exciting part!
Ingenza formed in 2003, starting in Kings Buildings at Edinburgh University and moved to the Roslin BioCentre in 2006. I have seen many changes over the years, growing from 11 members of staff when I joined in 2009 to 43 now. The impending move is a significant milestone in how well we have grown (organically), adapted and diversified over the years – I am delighted to be part of Ingenza at this very exciting time.
A busy week so far, so now time to wind down with some after-work Pilates…
Friday
It’s Friday and it’s muffin day! For many years, my colleagues Stephen, David and I have had a mini ‘muffin club’ where we take it in turns to bring in muffins as a Friday treat. Our colleague Sally-Anne is also a club member and there was an extremely strict interview process to join such an elite club!
It’s Friday and it’s muffin day!
I have a call scheduled this morning with our communications partner – kdm communications – who has supported Ingenza for almost four years now in publicising who we are and what we do across many different channels. We have four press releases ready to be shared, two case studies underway, we’re prepping an external newsletter and we’re scoping out new topical conferences to attend! The workflow never stops! So I already have lots of to-dos for the afternoon and next week!
That’s all for a week in my life at Ingenza! No week is ever the same and my wonderful colleagues make coming to work every day a total joy – but I still look forward to Friday at 5pm!