My name is Annegret and I’m a Senior Regulatory Affairs consultant at PharmaLex (PLX). I joined Biopharma Excellence (BPE) in Munich in 2016 and the company merged with PLX in October 2020.
I started working at BPE when I was fresh out of my PhD in microbiology and when there were just a handful of people working there. Being part of a small but very experienced team allowed me to grow with the company and to acquire a lot of regulatory knowledge in a very short timeframe. I soon moved from team member to project lead and from being the “new trainee” to training the new consultants.
When I heard about the merger with PLX, I was very excited. I saw it as a great opportunity to be part of a bigger organization with a wider service spectrum and of a team with hands-on experience in regulatory processes all around the world. But the merger with PLX didn’t just open new professional opportunities for me. My partner is Australian and we were always planning on trying out life at the other side of the globe. With PLX and its offices in 23 countries including Australia, this merger suddenly opened the door to move down-under while keeping the job I love. I reached out to my superiors and expressed my wish and only received positive feedback. They supported me completely and were initiating the next steps immediately. A couple of interviews were conducted with the future superiors and colleagues, who were all very friendly and supportive, and contracts were negotiated. Soon it was all set-in stone and I had to start packing boxes and ship all our belongings around the globe. I couldn’t have wished for a smoother transition.
The office I was joining in October 2021 was the former ERA Consulting (Australia) office in Brisbane, which also recently merged with PLX, and I was welcomed so warmly by everyone in the team here. On my first day, I received a welcome package including my new work laptop, I got an office tour and we had a nice lunch out with the new team. The week after, I had induction calls with all different departments to get to know the organisation. Everything in the onboarding process was very well-organised and thus I was soon ready to tackle my first projects.
PLX just recently introduced a new major service line called “Biopharma Excellence” and this new group consists of my new team in Brisbane and Melbourne, my former colleagues in Munich as well as PLX’ in-house biopharmaceutical experts. It is very exciting to be part of this new group working on cutting edge products, and to help shape it. Coming from the Munich office allows me also to function as bridge between the German and Australian BPE offices and connect people with the required expertise.
Working at PLX allows me to gain experience in a broad range of biopharmaceutical project from early-stage product development to approval and beyond and to work with clients from the top 10 pharma organisations to emerging start-ups. The diversity in projects and exposure to different clients is what makes working at PLX so much fun.
But what makes PLX special is the team spirit. We work in cross-functional, multinational teams with clients from all around the world. Everyone is eager to learn and for every question there is the right expert in-house and an enthusiasm for collaboration. The hierarchies at PLX are low and everyone’s opinion is heard and considered.
PLX as an employer also offers a wide range of in-house training programs, open for all employees, as well as special career development programs, which I’m sure will help me shape my career. I really appreciate what PLX has done for me personally and professionally, the trust they put into me and the support they have given me and my family throughout our move. I could not have imagined a better start to our life here in Australia.