Anna Cousens
On a personal level I’ve also had opportunities to attend training courses relevant to my role and have a professional development plan with my line manager, which is something I didn’t have at previous roles
What was it that made you choose Almac over other companies that interested you or with which you interviewed?
Within about 15 minutes of stepping onto the site I knew I wanted to be at Almac. Prior to the interview the team were really helpful at getting me in the right place, which was more complicated than other interviews I attended since there was a flight involved. When I came on site everyone was friendly and welcoming and the facilities were very impressive (much more than I had expected from the website). My line manager (who interviewed me) showed a genuine interest in the interview and introduced me to key people. I felt that they had really put the effort into the interview and it was a 2 way, collaborative process, rather than an exam!
What makes you want to stay?
I’m very happy here! It’s not all sunshine and rainbows but we have more good days than bad, and on the rare occasion where something goes wrong, everyone pulls together and the camaraderie gets you through.
What would you tell an applicant who is applying to Almac?
Come and see the site and the facilities and speak to people who work here – it’s a fantastic environment. Everyone is very friendly and the culture here is really conducive to success.
What great opportunities have you had in your role?
I have done a significant amount of travel through Europe, both for individual meetings and for conferences. I have also been lucky enough to attend a number of industry-leading conferences which are fantastic learning opportunities.
Almac is also home to a number of technical experts who are recognized industry leaders in their field so it’s really nice to have an opportunity to speak to them about new developments.
In the business development team we also get the opportunity to work with other business units, so we get to learn about the company as a whole, not just our specific business unit.
On a personal level I’ve also had opportunities to attend training courses relevant to my role and have a professional development plan with my line manager, which is something I didn’t have at previous roles.
Can you outline your career within Almac to date?
I joined 7 years ago and was charged with looking after our full suite of API services in UK/Ireland, as time went on my territory changed, and has included Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Austria and Germany at different points. Around 12 months ago I got the opportunity to move within the BD team and now have a more analytical focus. This role has a more technical focus which has different challenges, but I’m pleased to have the opportunity to move roles and within the same team.
