Leona Cantwell
Associate Director, External Quality & QP, Alexion Pharmaceuticals
The pharmaceutical sector offers a whole range of opportunities for those wanting to pursue a STEM career. Three women share their experiences from different areas of the industry.
What made you choose this career path?
My initial inspiration came from a passionate, energetic, female biology teacher in secondary school, who encouraged me to pursue science at third level. Plus, my parents were great advocates for education and supportive of my choice to study science.
My current role allows me to harness all my knowledge and experience, to successfully deal with the pace of the business and challenges as they arise.
What support have you had in your career so far?
At the heart of every decision I have made is my family. They have supported and guided me every step of the way.
At a company level, I have been so lucky to work for companies who have a real passion for people, culture and have given me opportunities to grow and develop myself and my career, including most recently being sponsored by Alexion to participate in the American Chamber of Ireland Emerging Leaders Programme.
Do you consider STEM to be for everyone?
I believe STEM is for everyone. STEM is important because it permeates every part of our lives. It empowers the next generation of innovators, it is ever-evolving and can be found everywhere.
I am very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had as it is a very exciting time to be in this field of work and the future of STEM looks so promising.
Áine Fleming
Director, Head of Site Engineering, Alexion Pharmaceuticals
The pharmaceutical sector offers a whole range of opportunities for those wanting to pursue a STEM career. Three women share their experiences from different areas of the industry.
What made you choose this career path?
I have always been interested in how things work and how to fix things. Growing up, I was always the one who changed the plugs or replaced the light bulbs.
At school, I gravitated towards the science-type subjects and had a love of maths. Engineering became the obvious choice for university.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in your career so far?
I recently joined a mentoring programme in collaboration with the IMI and 30% Club Ireland, supported by Alexion WIA, and I find the insights from other industries interesting. While many of the issues are the same, it brings a different perspective on how to approach them.
Our organisation has an internal female-focussed group, which aims to create a community that ensures women are fully included, engaged and valued at all levels and collaborate in all parts of the business globally. The group provides innovative learning, development and networking opportunities for everyone here.
Do you consider STEM to be for everyone?
Yes, STEM is for everybody. I find that often people think of engineers and scientist as being people wearing hard hats or lab coats.
STEM is more than that – it is a way of thinking and doing. If you are logically minded and like solving problems, there are lots of opportunities outside of construction and the lab.