Supporting staff through education and leadership roles

“No one ever says no to you at Pfizer,” says shift co-ordinator Troy Kenny. “You are never told you can’t do something. I’ve never heard those words spoken to me in 17-and-a-half years at Pfizer.”

He has just completed a certificate in Operations Supervision: Pharma Manufacturing Operations delivered by UCC in conjunction with Pfizer. “I never went to college and never did any courses after I had finished school,” he says. “This was a whole new world to me but the support and encouragement I got from my supervisor and the management here at Little Island, Co Cork gave me the confidence to do it.”

Kenny joined Pfizer in 2002 having spent the previous nine years working in another manufacturing firm nearby. “I had spent some time working in the water treatment plant and Pfizer was looking for someone with that experience at the time,” he recalls.

He started working in the Environmental Health and Safety department and was surprised to find how different the company was both technically and culturally. “All the systems were very different to what I had been used to,” he says. “It was a bit of a culture shock to see how they worked. People are trusted to do their job and there is great support from everyone.”

Position of Responsibility

Within nine months of starting he took on his first position of responsibility: “The opportunity came along to do shift work. That meant working on my own a lot. You could be left on your own to make decisions but there was great support from supervisors and others. I had their telephone numbers and they were the first port of call if I needed advice or assistance.”

I had never used the internet before I joined Pfizer

“Working on shift in the wastewater treatment plant places huge responsibility on you,” he continues. “It could be a Saturday or Sunday night and you’re there on your own. If the plant goes down it means production stops and it could be days before it gets up and running again. The cost of that would be very high. I always remember the first couple of weeks hoping nothing goes wrong. But knowing the support is there in the background is a great help. Over time you adjust and you are not frightened anymore.”

The learning experience continued. “I had never used the internet before I joined Pfizer. Even working on a computer was a challenge before that. But there was always someone there to help me send and receive emails. That was a great advantage.”

Further Education

Having earned a few promotions, he was offered the opportunity to do the Operations Supervision certificate course. “My supervisor approached me in relation to the course. I had to take a step back and think about it, but my supervisor told me I would be well able for it. He also offered his time and support to help me with things like PowerPoint presentations and so on. A senior manager approached me in the corridor one day to offer their support as well.”

The four module 16 month course was delivered on site in Pfizer. “My colleagues on the course were a great help as well. I was able to learn from them and pick their brains. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. The course is based on people’s experience on site. We got trained in the classroom on how to deal with different problems and scenarios that might arise during the production process. We also got the opportunity to put it into practice in field straight away.”

Each of the modules concluded with a presentation by the participants. “I’ll always remember my first one. It was about what we had found out about ourselves during the course. I gave it the title ‘Not knowing me’ because of what I found out about myself. There was a ripple of applause at the end. That gives you the energy to continue and learn more.”

He completed the course earlier this year and is enjoying putting the learning into action in his current role as shift co-ordinator. “The course has really helped me but I think it is important for me to mention my shift supervisor Paul Furlong. He is the person I work with every day in my new position and he is passing on his experience of nearly 30 years on site to me and is coaching me in every aspect of the job.”

Women need to become leaders if the agenda is to be changed in a lasting, meaningful way 

Pfizer Ireland launched its inaugural programme, Female Aspiring Talent Ireland (FATI) to develop female leadership in Ireland in 2018. The programme is based on a Pfizer European leadership programme that has been running for more than eight years. There are 20 participants in this first course from across the Irish operation, which provides training on leadership style, mentoring, work-life harmony and one-to-one individual coaching. The programme is run in partnership with Axiom Consultants and Frances Fitzgerald, TD launched the Ireland programme:

“Women sometimes still consider it normal that they should not be at the decision-making table. That has to change. After all, it undermines the core point of democracy if it is not representative of society. Women need to become leaders if the agenda is to be changed in a way that is durable and meaningful. If more women become leaders, we will be able to pursue the changes in structures and practice that will facilitate more women to participate and to achieve their potential.”

Please visit pfizer.com/careers/en-ir/ for open roles in Pfizer Ireland