The most exciting aspect of working at Aragen is the control I have over my career path. I find the culture here, gender neutral, transparent and encouraging. The company has enabled me to explore my interests and skills over the past 15 years. I have utilized every opportunity given to me to improve myself. My work began in R&D but I have settled into project management now. Thanks to my mentors, I was able to make a transition in my career at the right time. When I became a manager, I benefited greatly from the in-house Elevate training program for first-time managers. Last year, I was selected for the women executive development program, EvolWe. Both programs have helped me better manage my work-life balance, and grow in confidence as a person and as a professional.
An encouraging work culture at every step of the way has made my journey at Aragen exceptional. When I joined 10 years ago as a scientist, I started work with an open mind, and no expectations. Right from the outset, I felt supported by my colleagues and benefitted from open doors of communication with my team heads. Transparency and good guidance helped resolve problems quickly and successfully, while building trust. I asked for and was entrusted with responsibilities whenever possible, which enabled me to push myself, achieve goals and follow my professional ambitions. Today, as a manager, I continue to nurture a culture of trust, and maintain an open-door policy for my team to come to me with their successes and failures. Once, after weeks of work, we experienced a setback in the lab. I had no hesitation in taking responsibility and informing the client that we would rework the batch immediately. And deliver we did!
It was the fifth day of the city-wide COVID lockdown in March 2020, and an important mechanistic pharmacokinetic study was on schedule. Data from this study was critical for candidate nomination. At stake, was customer expectation and a critical in vivo study that had been initiated but not completed. My colleagues and I decided to step up to the challenge. Leaving our homes was a huge risk, but we worked as a team and planned it well. At the crack of dawn the next morning, five of us drove to the facility. Over the next two days, we completed all pre-activity. On the third morning, despite the limitation of a small team, we conducted the experiment over 12 hours non-stop.
Our efforts and the results delighted the customer. It felt good to deliver against the odds and demonstrate Aragen’s commitment to customer at the center.
