Forces to Pharma: Making the Leap from Military to Life Sciences

The recent acceleration of products, services, facilities and distribution channels within the life sciences have come at a ‘breakneck speed,’ (MedTechVets, 2021) providing opportunity for greater adaptability, change and collaboration between teams.

The Department of Defence has illustrated how the medical device and life sciences industry is a viable career option for the approximate 200,000 service members transitioning to civilian life year-on-year (2021). The competence to accept a challenge head-on and swiftly change course are fundamental behaviours demonstrated within military training – these skills can prove invaluable to everyday practices within life sciences.

Join us on 8th November for our upcoming Ex-Military Careers and BioTalent Social virtual webinar session, ‘Forces to Pharma: Making the Leap from Military to Life Sciences,’ where we will address the exponential growth of the life sciences industry and discuss the plethora of opportunities this creates for ex-military personnel.

RSVP and save your spot now: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sVsSKVVvT1Gnf62yGz2AyQ

Topics of discussion will include:

• Top skills gained from the military – how to use them to your advantage
• Experiences of transitioning – how to ensure this is as smooth as possible
• Making the shift to life sciences – what should I expect?
• How experiences in the forces can positively impact the industry
• The shared values between the military and life sciences

Our panel will include:

• Ellis Greenway - Client Engagement Lead @ Ex-Military Careers
• Jason Heap - Recruitment Consultant @ BioTalent
• Olivia Cream - Senior HR Director @ Stryker
• Dr Mike Zurawski - CEO @ MICA Biosystems
• Colin Drummond - Senior Operations Director @ Thermo Fisher Scientific

Olivia Cream
Olivia served as the Advanced Sourcing manager for 4 years before moving to HR as the Endoscopy Division Sales HRBP in 2015. As an HR leader, Olivia is focused on employee relations, talent assessment, performance management, development, workforce planning, and recruiting functions. Olivia is now serving on the National Board for SAAN and is also a contributing member of the Stryk Veterans association focusing on recruiting, retention and development of Veterans.

Dr Mike Zurawski
Dr Mike Zurawski is the CEO of a pre-clinical regenerative medicine company, MICA Biosystems. He is also Chairman of a pre-clinical Alzheimer's therapeutic company, Neuro-Bio. Mike has gained a PhD in orthopaedic biotech from the University of Nottingham and has been a British Army Reservist since 2016.

Colin Drummond
Colin is a Royal Navy Veteran and Senior Operations Director at Thermo Fisher Scientific. After Colin's service in the Royal Navy Submarine Service as an Engineering Officer, Colin spent a brief period working in the Oil and Gas Sector before starting his 'Pharma' career with GSK over 23 years ago. He has worked across a wide range of manufacturing and supply chain roles across Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Goods, and Medical Devices.