Emma Frood recently joined Mtech Access as an Associate Consultant in our market access team. In this interview, she tells us about her experiences and activities in her first few weeks with us.
What led you to pursue a career in market access?
While undertaking my degree in Biochemistry at the University of Bath, I quickly realised that lab work was not for me; however, I knew I still wanted to remain within life sciences and pursue a career in the healthcare industry.
As part of my degree, I had the opportunity to complete an industrial placement year, where I worked in the marketing department at a global pharmaceutical company. The year really opened my eyes to the different career paths in the industry and I was able to gain some exposure to the world of market access, which, to me, seemed like the perfect mix of business, science, and strategy. This led me to pursuing market access consulting roles upon graduating, and I’ve never looked back!
Before joining Mtech Access, I gained 2 and half years’ experience in another market access consultancy where I predominantly worked on UK-based projects and was fortunate enough to work across a broad range of disease areas and products, giving me a great foundation for my career.
What motivated you to join Mtech Access?
Mtech Access appealed to me for a number of reasons, including the level of experience across the team. Many team members have been in the industry for years and have extensive market access knowledge across a variety of markets, which provides a great opportunity to gain valuable insights and learn from them directly.
The opportunity to work on a broad range of projects, from Pharmaceutical to Medtech, and at both a global and UK level was also particularly appealing, as well as being able to continue to work directly with stakeholders within the NHS. My role also offers me the chance to refine my strategic and project management skills, alongside the flexibility to pursue what I am interested in.
Additionally, the culture at Mtech Access really stood out to me. I had heard great things from colleagues, as well as the company’s general reputation within the industry, so it seemed like a perfect fit!
What have you been doing in your first few weeks with Mtech Access?
My first few weeks at Mtech Access have largely centred around my induction programme, which has consisted of some core training alongside meeting the different teams and service leads. Everyone has been really friendly and welcoming, and it’s been great to understand more about what Mtech Access offer both their clients and employees.
I’ve also been able to get stuck into project work, including project managing an advisory board in haemophilia with a new client and supporting several other projects, one of which involved working directly with the NHS to evaluate and support service transformation in different areas of the country.
Finally, I attended the All-Company Meeting at the end of my first month, which was a great opportunity to get to know everyone in the company more and meet some of the wider team. We also had a Market Access Team Day where we discussed our skills and experience, and worked together in groups to complete a fun exercise brainstorming about how we can support potential clients with their market access challenges, while collaborating as a team.
What has surprised you about Mtech Access?
I have been really surprised at the breadth and depth of the team’s experience at Mtech Access. Although this was something that I was aware of before joining, the level of experience within the team has become clear to me whilst working on projects with senior team members.
The whole team is also really approachable, regardless of experience or department, and senior team members are directly involved in all aspects of project work, which has given me the opportunity to start learning from them already!
I have also been impressed by how closely, and just how many, stakeholders Mtech Access work with as part of their NHS network of Associates. The strength of the relationships means that Mtech Access collaborate with Associates regularly to inform project work, and are able to gain frequent and up-to-date insights into the current and evolving NHS environment.
When you are not at work, what do you like to do?
I recently moved to London, so am enjoying spending my spare time exploring my new local area and everything that the city has to offer. I also love going on holiday to new places and am looking forward to making the most of the upcoming summer now that we’re able to travel more!
To find out more about our approach to global market access and local value communication, email info@mtechaccess.co.uk.
If you are interested in joining our team at Mtech Access, please visit our careers page for details of our current vacancies.
