Richard Rogers

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Richard Rogers

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Name:

Richard Rogers

At A Glance

Licensed Body:

IBMS

Region:

South East

Location:

Essex

First Degree:

BSc Chemistry

Job:

Qualified Person

Age:

Home:

Upminster

Works For:

sanofi aventis

Pet Hates:

Negative attitude

Burning Ambition:

Work for myself instead of being an employee

Big Picture

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Didn’t have a clue, I enjoyed science and engineering subjects so ‘followed my nose’

Who or what inspired you to become a scientist?

My Chemistry O-level teacher and then A-level teachers helped understand basics and demystify terminology

What do you love about your job and being a “scientist”?

All my decisions about products and the events during manufacture are based on scientific decisions and data and so I can show why I made every decision and back up my reasoning

What would you change?

Outsourcing of production from the UK where control of quality is being lost for a questionable reduction in cost

Education

What qualifications did you take at school?

9 O-levels, 3 A-levels, Chemistry, Physics & Maths

Why did you choose your first degree subject?

My first degree was in Chemistry, I enjoyed the subject and thought it was a broad enough subject to be interesting without limiting a possible career.

Do you have a Masters or PhD? If not, was it difficult to demonstrate Masters-level equivalence in order to achieve CSci?

I carried out further study achieving a Diploma in Pharmaceutical studies from the University of Strathclyde and have maintained my Continuous Professional Development record, so I have shown constant learning and experience gathering in my current job for the last 5 years. In summary, ‘no’ it was not difficult.

Job

How do you describe your job when you meet people at a party?

I am the person who is responsible for releasing all the life-saving medicines at the site

What is ‘cutting-edge’ about your work?

The ‘cutting-edge’ aspect is maintaining up to date compliance with directives, regulations and monographs which is an ever-increasing task!

What are the biggest implications your work will/could have in the future?

On the positive side, as I face audits from Regulatory bodies such as the MHRA, FDA and other countries, I can assure then of our sites ability to be trusted to continue manufacture

Describe some of the highlights of your average day.

I am consulted on all major issues from the site regarding product quality so this involves decision making on Chemistry laboratory testing, microbiology monitoring or water testing results, but also engineering fixes required in a clean room, transportation problems, etc. Each day brings something new!

Describe briefly how your career has progressed to date.

I have worked at the same site for 21 years progressing from laboratory analyst to development analyst, into Quality Assurance to becoming a Qualified Person to the Quality Leader for Manufacturing

How is your job cross-disciplinary?

I deal with everyone from the Operators manufacturing/filling/inspecting/packing the product to engineers supporting the equipment, to the laboratories testing all raw materials, components and finished products to customers of the final product

How well is your job compensated? What is the starting salary for your field, and how much can this be expected to rise?

Analyst jobs are typically starting at £20-25 000, but more for the relevant experience

How do you see your field developing over the next 5-10 years?

The manufacture in the UK seems to be in decline for big pharmaceutical companies, but there are a lot of small, new companies. The development is therefore more likely to be working with small companies but people changing companies more frequently

What’s the most unexpected thing about your job?

The professionalism of all the people involved, everyone at every level is very aware that they are making life-saving drugs and the importance of their responsibility

What’s the biggest achievement of your career so far?

Becoming a qualified person after two years of training and study after a long break from formal education

Life

Would you say you have a good standard of living/ work-life balance?

Yes, I do have contact out of normal working hours as a single batch can have a value in excess of £1 Million, so working with the team is important, but the feeling of being part of a team supplying life saving medicines is ethically rewarding

What do your friends and family think about your job?

I don’t think they really understand the pressures of decision making and the huge feeling of responsibility. It is difficult to convey this without doing the job!

What kind of hobbies or extracurricular activities do you do to relax?

I spend a lot of time with my three children as they play sports and are all very active. I do still try to spend time with my work colleagues outside of work to relax and to keep it all in perspective!

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