Individual Opportunities that Benefit the Company and the Patients
.
Kelly shared one of the larger opportunities involved in her career growth. “BMS was making the change from an Electronic Study file system we used to archive documents of clinical studies,” she said. “The new electronic Trial Master File (eTMF) system was more advanced and required serious training and changes in work habits, so documents could be created, reviewed, finalized and approved in the system itself. I became a super user of the system, and while there were global guidelines, our team felt we needed guidelines that better fit our RCO Asian hub colleagues. This entailed lots of feedback from each function. The journey and our success in its incorporation has been a great learning and growth opportunity.”
.
John was involved in launching a gastric cancer indication in Korea, which was a high-profile project because of the disease's incidence in Korea. “Even before I transitioned to a marketing role, I was medically involved in the brand and strategy planning processes for the launch of I-O into a line of therapy for those with no effective options,” John said. “These were overseen by the worldwide brand team who were flown into Japan to see our presentations. It was challenging and engaging for me, but we were also doing something very important that could impact the company at large as well as cancer patients in Korea and Asia.”
.
Personal Career Paths, Shared Values
.
While Kelly and John have varied experiences while pursuing career growth, both bring similar values to their day-to-day, values that can be felt across BMS, no matter where on the globe a colleague might be situated.
.
“Passion is the BMS value that especially resonates with me,” added Kelly. “I might be volunteering for something like the system change I mentioned. Those kinds of projects can be challenging and need extra time and energy invested, but they offer opportunities to grow fast in a very short time.”
.
As John’s level of responsibility grows along with his career, he counts on his innate curiosity and genuine interest to assist teammates through challenges. “I’m covering a lot more intellectual ground than I did as a scientific advisor for a single drug and disease,” he said. “And continually building on that base of knowledge is important. That comes from a genuine interest and open sharing.”
.
Reasons to Join BMS Become Reasons to Stay
.
When questioned about reasons for staying at BMS Korea, and what has kept Kelly here for 16 years and John for close to eight years, both colleagues credited a strong culture supported by interesting work and support for development and growth.
.
“I feel I have grown a lot every year at BMS,” offered Kelly. “And I never get bored. When early-career people join us, they find plenty of learning and growth ideas, which is refreshing. I really love working here.”
.
“And really great people,” added John. “Dealing with first-in-class therapies that can significantly influence people's lives can be high-pressure at times. But at BMS, everyone is supportive and works toward a single goal to deliver innovative medicines to patients faster. And on a practical side, BMS has a robust pipeline. That, in turn, provides a sense of security as opposed to a smaller company that might have one or two therapies in their pipeline.”
.
John and Kelly are two valued leaders among many at Bristol Myers Squibb, each finding their own way to progress, both moving the company into the future alongside their teams. If interesting and meaningful work transforming the lives of patients with opportunities for growth appeals to you, explore the wide range of careers available at BMS Korea. Learn more about roles in BMS Korea in Commercial, R&D and Enabling Functions today.
