Feel the fear and do it anyway – starting a new journey at ramarketing

Catherine Hunter, our new Senior Commercial Manager shares how after more than a decade in the sector, she moved from working for a CRO to joining the commercial team at ramarketing. Discover how Catherine found life at ramarketing a week after joining the agency.

“Feel the fear and do it anyway…”
Susan Jeffers

There are many times in life when we can be held back by the power of our own brain – whether that be in terms of small everyday decisions, or significant life milestones. For me, and perhaps for many others reading this too, emotions and intrinsic personality characteristics always have the potential to win out over logical, rational, and self-prioritizing decisions, or even those for which there seems no exact rhyme or reason, but something just feels right in your gut.

Recently, having realized that I had reached a milestone following over a decade in the pharmaceutical industry, I was at somewhat of a career crossroads. I realized that I was ready to push the boundaries of my knowledge and skills in a new direction, continuing to learn whilst staying true to everything that makes me…well…me!

Moving out of your comfort zone can, though, feel daunting and you must learn to embrace the voice telling you to ‘give it a go’ and take a new turn, over the one trying to convince you that staying on the same path is best. So here I am…. after taking a leap and having landed in the extremely welcoming, fast-paced, creative, and industry-leading arms of ramarketing.

A new job is always daunting… but a world-class welcome makes all the difference.

No matter your age, CV, or seniority, I think that the first days and weeks in any new job can be stressful, to say the least! Whilst there will always be lots to learn, new processes to figure out, expectations to deliver against, and new colleagues and clients to meet and build relationships with, these can fall away when your welcome is authentic, canny* and all-encompassing. That has certainly been my recent experience for sure. I feel like I have been here for months or years, not just days! The onboarding process, allowing me to meet the team and get to know the nuts and bolts processes that keep things running smoothly has been fantastic, with supportive training from every corner and every level of the business. In particular, the “there is no such thing as a silly question” mantra that everyone inherently lives and breathes makes it a great atmosphere for growth, openness, learning, and getting up to speed quickly.

Moving from an innovative, pharmaceutical technology CRO to a specialist life sciences marketing agency will no doubt seem left field to some, but I have come to realize that whatever happens, you can do anything when you put your mind to it, applying your wealth of skills and knowledge, and when you’re surrounded by an amazing team – ramarketing is certainly that. With a huge range of talent embedded in the agency from PhD scientists to creative design experts and beyond, we are set up to absolutely deliver for our clients around the world, whilst having fun along the way. That said, I am super excited to work with clients past, present, and future to help you get noticed, stand out from the crowd, generate leads, and rocket-propel your companies to achieve your ambitions in the global pharma and biotech sector.

Reflecting on my roots

I will be forever grateful to the founders of Crystec for taking a chance on me all those years ago. As some of you may know, I started in the industry as a junior Business Development professional, having never studied Business at any level, or indeed knowing that Business Development was a job title! When I reflect now on all of the skills that I have been granted the opportunity to learn and develop, there is a lot to compute. I have an armory of knowledge and experience to take forward allowing me to bring a new dynamic to the ramarketing commercial team, and serve our clients. Although I may not be quite so fresh-faced these days(!), I am as passionate as ever in my quest to support companies to achieve their full potential in this incredible industry, while simultaneously contributing to meaningful impacts in improving human health worldwide. What a driver to get out of bed in the morning, hey!

I have been contemplating my professional journey (so far!) in the last few days, and my message on this sunny afternoon draws from the words of Susan Jeffers – “feel the fear and do it anyway”. Whether it be personally or professionally, staying in our comfort zones may feel cozy, but it is vital to grow and challenge ourselves. The same is true of the growth and development of businesses, so let us help you to reach for the stars. We genuinely care, and our team of experts can’t wait to join you on your journey.

*canny – a Geordie phrase meaning good/nice/lovely/amazing (amongst other things!)

Connect with Catherine to find out more about how ramarketing can help your organization differentiate, get noticed, and grow in life sciences.