Meet Luci - Team Leader in Travel & Expenses
What did you do before your current role?
Before I took up my role at European Business Services, I took a year out to go backpacking with my husband, which was a fantastic experience and a real journey of discovery. Before that, I had been working at Intel Corporation in Swindon, in a very similar work environment to EBS and also covering the German speaking markets.
Why did you choose AstraZeneca?
As my Mum has worked at the Alderley Park site for 16 years, I have grown up with AstraZeneca. Also, having done my work experience there and completed a project as a vacation student, I was well aware of the benefits of working for such a large, high profile company and have always been a member of the AstraZeneca Leisure Club and gym (ClubAZ), which has some great local discounts.
What was your recruitment experience like?
Having started my role at EBS in 2003, the recruitment process was somewhat different to now. However, the whole process was well organised, ran very smoothly and I was made to feel at ease (which is difficult at any interview). One of the advantages of a large company like AstraZeneca is that they constantly strive to improve processes, such as the recruitment process and are committed to making the experience as fair and efficient as possible-an aim that is beneficial to both myself, as a recruiting manager, and future candidates.
What does your job involve?
My job varies greatly from day to day but is always interesting and challenging. I am a Line Manager in the Travel & Expenses department, managing a team of 10 people, covering 7 western European Marketing Companies (Germany/Austria/ Switzerland/Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg/France). My team is responsible for processing, paying and auditing the expense claims of the Sales Reps and office-based employees for these markets (apart from France). In a typical day, I can deal with the main contacts from at least 2 or 3 different countries. This means that the challenges I face can vary greatly, depending on which market is involved.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love the diversity of working with so many people from different countries and cultures. EBS is a real melting pot of languages and ethnic backgrounds and everyone who works here is submerged into a lively social mix. The employees here often celebrate different festivals and holidays and you become more aware of the cultural differences, and get to try a lot of food specific to different countries-mmm.
Whats the most challenging aspect of your role?
It is very important to me to successfully balance the needs of my team with the expectations of the Marketing Companies, ensuring that the team feel supported and the MCs never have to experience a drop in the extremely high standards we provide in our service to them.
In what ways do you feel that your team is leading edge?
Actually, the conception of the whole EBS is very much a pioneer project in the world of Pharmaceutical Shared Services and can definitely be described as leading edge. A benefit of covering so many markets in EBS is that you can take the best practise from different countries and implement it into the other markets, ensuring that the T&E process as a whole is constantly becoming more standardised, efficient and reactive to business needs. This is something that works very well in my team.
What makes a great line manager in your opinion?
Someone who always leads by example and consistently motivates their team to reach or exceed the team/business objectives. A Manager should never ask anyone to do something that they wouldnt do themselves-this is something that I constantly remind myself of. Everyone should be treated with the same respect with which you would want to be treated yourself and you should be loyal to your team, ultimately being prepared to take full responsibility for the actions of your team.
What skills do you need to be successful?
You need to be committed to your job and want to strive for excellence in every aspect of the role. You should always pay attention to detail and understand the consequences of your own performance in the context of the whole business. To be hardworking and conscientious are also traits that I feel you would need to be successful.
What do you enjoy most about working for AstraZeneca?
The pay packet of course! No seriously, I love working for such a successful pharmaceutical company and contributing to that success. Not only do you have the security of a large blue-chip company, but you also have the knowledge that the medicines the company discovers help to improve the quality of life for many people, all over the world.
Whats the trait you most admire in other people?
Integrity. No matter what happens or what pressures you are under, those people with integrity refuse to compromise their standards and always ensure that an issue is resolved to the highest possible standard with minimum repercussions.
What general advice would you give someone about their career?
To spend time considering where you want to be and what you hope to achieve in a specific timeframe, rather than leaving it to chance. Also, that you have to enjoy your job/chosen career, after all, you spend most of your time at work.
If you were not a T&E Line Manager what would you be?
I would probably be a nurse or a mid-wife, as these are both careers that I admire and that interest me.
