Baxter Cultivates Young Leaders

This is the time of year when many students head back to school to continue their education. This is also the Early Career Professionals (ECP) business resource group's signature month at Baxter, where young professionals showcase their development. We reached out to Laura, market manager for Patient Support Systems, one of Baxter's businesses, and co-lead of the ECP UK chapter, to learn about her experiences as a young professional at Baxter.  

What is your current role?

Laura: I first joined Baxter UK as a placement student in 2014 and spent a year at the organisation before returning to university to complete my degree. In 2016, I returned to Baxter as a graduate, and in the last six years I have had the opportunity to progress my career, working in various sales and marketing roles, across several areas of the Baxter business. 

In my current role as a market manager, I am responsible for our Patient Support Systems product portfolio. In this role, I develop and implement the marketing strategy for this product group to generate and maximise opportunities in core product areas, supporting the sales team to hit their targets and deliver growth. I also serve on a country Leadership Team and manage a team of clinical advisors who support our sales team and customers in the effective use of our products and services within the relevant clinical environment. 

What’s the most fulfilling part about working at Baxter? 

Laura: The people at Baxter make it a great place to work. In every role I have had, I have been fortunate to work with individuals across the organisation who are happy to invest time in me and support my development goals and ambitions. I have been able to continuously learn and develop to not only improve in my role, but to be able to take the next step in my career when I have been ready to. 

What is the best part of being a member of ECP, the Early Career Professionals business resource group?

Laura: I have been a co-lead for the UK ECP chapter for the last two years, and the best part for me has been the opportunity to widen the reach of this group and see the visions of the group come together. 

In the UK this has been made possible by supporting enthusiastic early career professionals from many different areas of the business. They in turn lead workstreams which provide better opportunities for everyone, whilst also providing those individuals with personal growth and a wider network on the back of their hard work and successes. Seeing these successes and the impact they have to our employees is my favourite part of the co-lead role.     

What is the reverse mentoring program?

Laura: The UK ECP chapter have developed a country-wide Reverse Mentoring (RM) scheme offering senior leaders the opportunity to connect and learn from early career professionals. We have had over 40 pairings since the launch. There are many benefits to RM: for example, it can provide senior leaders with insights into different generational perspectives, and it can expand and enhance knowledge transfer and skill sets. For the organisation, RM can inspire positive cultural change, which in turn enhances recruitment and retention and increases development opportunities at all levels. 

What does it mean to have a meaningful career? 

Laura: For me, this is a career that challenges you to be the best you can be, enables you to contribute to a wider purpose, whilst providing continuous opportunities for learning and personal growth.