What drives your passion for public affairs?
I’ve always taken a keen interest in political affairs and wanted to explore a career where I could see the tangible results of the work I was doing. Ultimately, what drives me is working hard to deliver impactful campaigns for our clients that make a real difference to patients’ lives. Lobbying is an important function in politics which often gets misinterpreted – this motivates me to challenge these misconceptions and carry out credible work that leads to the development of better policy and legislation. It’s also a unique and rewarding career – no day is the same and there’s a lot of variation, especially working in agency.
Why did you choose to take an internship at Four Health?
Prior to joining Four Health (formerly Insight PA), I had completed a university placement year at another public affairs agency. This gave me my first insight into the world of public affairs, but I wanted to apply what I’d learned in health policy specifically. I had always grown up with an interest in healthcare, particularly as my sister is a doctor and other family members have worked in the healthcare space, so it felt like a natural fit. Although I’ve specialised in health PA/policy, Four Health has provided opportunities to collaborate across a number of teams within the agency. As a company, Four also has a strong set of core values, summarised as being EPIC – expertise, partnership, intelligence and community. All of these values resonate through my own personal work and beliefs and I’m lucky to work with some amazing colleagues!
Where have you made the most significant impact in your career so far?
I’ve been really fortunate to work with some brilliant clients over the years across a range of areas, so this is a tricky one to answer! I’d say one of my main achievements was delivering a campaign to improve and standardise the long-term management of patients who have suffered a venous thromboembolism (VTE), which ultimately led to the development of updated (and improved) NICE guidelines on the disease area. Influencing policy and effecting change doesn’t always result in ‘quick-wins’, so when you achieve results and really see the impact that has been made at a national level, it’s particularly rewarding.
What is your vision for the future?
My main goal is to continue creating value for clients and deliver work that benefits patients across a number of different disease areas. We have an excellent team working in public affairs, which I hope continues to thrive. More broadly, the pandemic has prompted a renewed focus on health and re-shaped perceptions of the industry, particularly through the development of treatments and vaccines to tackle COVID-19. I hope the value pharma brings in terms of science and innovation continues to be recognised, alongside the wider benefits the sector offers to society.
