Victoria Higgins’ Post

Thank you and Goodnight (for a millisecond) As the curtain closes on my 29 year career at Wellcome, GlaxoWellcome, GlaxoSmithkine & GSK, allow me a short period of reflection and then I’ll shut up about it – maybe, possibly. OK, most probably not. Tomorrow is my last ‘formal’ day at GSK. I’ve not written a ‘Goodbye & Thank You’ email to my colleagues and pals via my GSK address because those who I know & love are all on here and they include my ‘in-laws’ ('externals' 😁 ). I’m going out on a limb here to say that every single person I know who has left a job says that it is the people they miss most. So far, so cliché. The thing is that people are the reason I loved my job at GSK and people are the reason that I chose to jump feet first into coaching. Because - get this revelation - we are all people!!!!!!!! At GSK I built, nurtured and loved our strategic partnerships with the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and KCL and it was always (for me) about putting the people and the relationships first. Of course we were firmly focused on the patient at the end (a person!) and were science led, and data driven. We needed clarity on what partnership would deliver and when. The ‘value proposition’ had to be crystal clear BUT like any long-term relationship, its ultimate success was down to listening to each others needs and opinions, establishing and nurturing trust, mutual respect and the willingness to flex and compromise when the sh*t hit the fan (which those in this space will know that it does, and often). What am I getting at here? No matter where you work and what you do, whether you have a list of qualifications and went to Eton or have none and went to the comprehensive of the back-of-beyond, the ingredients for a successful relationship and a fulfilling engagement in any form are the same - trust, honesty, flexibility, openness, respect & a big old dollop of not taking yourself too seriously. We are humans after all… So thanks a ton to my friends and family at GSK past and present plus my fabulous co-conspirators at my second homes. You know who you are. You are too many to mention but I’ll call a few folks out here for some special love: GSK family - Tony Wood, Kaivan Khavandi, Nicolas Wisniacki Eugene Grygielko Andrew Walsh Shawn Sullivan Carolyn Buser Neil Brewis Ian Tomlinson James Faulkner Carol Marshall Helen Merianos; Brendan H. Cambridge - Tammy Dougan, Paula Frampton Jana Voigt Andy Neely Oxford - Maxine Allen Charlotte Bell John Todd Cecilia Lindgren KCL family - Tony Ng Tom Foulkes Robert Lechler @simon howell I’m looking forward to continuing to work with you all in a different guise - you can't escape from me!! Off to have lots of fun as an (official) Exec & Team coach with a side order of facilitation and consultation on all things academic/industry partnerships. Shout me up, watch this space & stay brilliant Victoria Higgins Life.Science.Coach [email protected] www.beyond-the-noise.com