Looking ahead to International Women in Engineering Day, this Sunday 23 June, we chatted with Julianne Hogan, Senior Consultant in Operational Readiness and Facility Start-up Planning, and received some valuable insight into her career with the company. Since joining KPC International in 2012, Julianne has been at the forefront of building KPC’s outstanding success rate, through tireless work on a number of international project locations throughout Europe and beyond…
Early life:
I grew up in Ennis, Co Clare, and went on to study Industrial Biochemistry in UL. I quickly discovered the adventure in science and the world of biotech and engineering. I knew that I wanted to be part of a team making medicines for those that need them.
How did you get into the industry?
I started out in R&D, a small start-up in Cork investigating novel gene targets in the area of apoptosis, then I moved to QC Virology in Wyeth, another start-up at the time. I spent some time in process development and production and even managed some time in the Emergency Response Team on site before getting into the Tech Transfer and Project management of starting up new facilities. At this stage, I think I’m addicted to the energy, drive, and excitement that is needed for start-up.
Tell us more about your career with KPC.
I joined KPC in 2012 and started working with a team on a start-up facility project in Hungary. Travel started to become just part of life and since then I have been fortunate enough to work with many clients on projects in Germany, Canada, France, Belgium, the US, and the Bahamas.
Learning to adapt to different cultures, people, and ways of working has always been exciting to me and I so enjoy teaming up with clients to help them to achieve the technical requirements or organisational infrastructure that they need for getting a project going. During the last 8 years, I have also been part of the leadership team at KPC, contributing greatly to its growth.
What are the challenges you face day-to-day?
The main challenge for me is trying to be in multiple locations and juggle many hats at once…but I don’t know any Mum/Scientist/PM/Leader who has totally figured that out!
What do you like about life at KPC International?
No two days are the same at KPC and one never knows what next adventure could be around the corner. As a scientist, working with engineers is wonderful. They have a “just do it” mindset that is a great asset to a project team, but it’s the combination of scientific thinking and engineer practicality that makes for success in starting up a facility.
It can be daunting starting a new project in a new country, but you never know what you are capable of unless you put yourself in the position of having to try something new.
What would you say to encourage people to keep positive, and keep going through busy or challenging times at work?
Embrace different, embrace change, think outside the box, and enjoy it.
If you are interested in learning more about life as part of the KPC International team, please email us at [email protected], or follow us on LinkedIn for regular company updates.
If you are a graduate or experienced professional in the life science industry, and are interested in joining the KPC International team, you can find our latest opportunities on our careers portal, here
