Meet Asa

Hi, my name is Asa.

A few years ago, while I was studying Bioengineering in Sweden, I was introduced to AstraZeneca at a careers fair. I was intrigued, and after some more research, I decided to apply for the graduate programme.

I always hoped I would work in the pharmaceutical industry and AstraZeneca has a lot of presence, so I knew it was a great opportunity. It also gave me the chance to work abroad, my first role was in Belgium.Science is so interesting to me. It's fascinating to study, and I've always been attracted to finding solutions and developing innovations. Working here means I get to interact with teams who are brainstorming new things. It's cool to see what we can achieve, and developing drugs that have a great impact on people's lives. We can actually be part of these positive changes.

My job is completely different every day, but that's why it's fun. Often I have meetings with my project teams, and we do this virtually because my colleagues are based all over the world. I can have a call with China in the morning and the United States later on. My role is really to try and get things going to make sure we have movement on our projects. The most exciting part of my role is that I can help impact the long term strategy for Operations at AstraZeneca. I have a chance to put my own mark on it.

The programme is such a great opportunity, I was able to work and live in four different countries. There are very few people that I know who have been able to do that. It's great to try different types of roles and it makes it easier to discover what you want to do. It's also a chance to create a global network. I think that's really powerful, plus having friends all over the world is amazing. It's a very unique programme, and I still work closely with many of the people I met on the programme.

I try not to plan my career too carefully, but I would love to have line manager responsibilities one day, or work abroad again. Either way, I hope I'll still be able to make an impact to the way we do things.

To anyone considering the programme, I would say it's a wonderful opportunity. It's not just a great chance to get to know the company and try out various roles, but it gives you a cultural awareness. It's a real eye opener.