MAJA KĄDZIOŁA-AVBERŠEK Role: Regulatory Affairs Manager Area: Pharmaceutical chemistry Employer: Sandoz (Novartis); former: GSK, Wrigley (Mars)   What can I help my mentee with? the characteristics of regulatory affairs (focusing on major markets like EU, CA, BR and US) how to get started in the regulatory field how to balance work dynamics between different project in a timely manner how to efficiently work in a dynamic cross-functional and cross-continental environment the particulars of moving abroad and career development

While studying Chemical Technology at Poznań University of Technology in Poland, Maja got her first job experience as an intern in Logistics and Integrated Business Management at Wrigley. There she gained a good overview of the workflow and organization of a big corporation. “I think this helped me in my future jobs, as I started early and when I finished my studies, I already had experience with working in a large corporation.” Her first full-time job was a Junior Regulatory Specialist at GSK Pharmaceuticals in Poznań, where she gained knowledge regarding regulatory requirements. After six months of working there, she received an offer to move to GSK Biologicals in Belgium and to work in the field of registration of vaccines, which led her to dive deeper in the biological sphere, rather than her chemical background.

Currently Maja works as a Regulatory Affairs Manager at Sandoz Development Center in Austria. Her responsibility is to provide the research and development team with support throughout the registration process of a new drug. Her guidance includes facilitation of the communication with EMA (European Medicines Agency) or FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) in order to get the new drug approved and registered as soon as possible. Maja is also responsible for the regulatory strategy.

Maja enrolled in a MBA study programme to learn more about the field of business. “It is a lot of work and you have to be well organized. During weekdays I’m working and I spend the weekends studying. However, it is rewarding to have a better understanding of business.” Maja decided to join our mentoring program because she wants to give back what has been given to her - she has had a few mentors who helped her with her career. She also thinks that it is beneficial to stay connected with younger people and to learn from them.