Overview:

“We’re at the forefront of the industry – and that’s really exciting”

Gemma Finch started her career as a contract pharmaceutical sales rep, before moving to Servier Laboratories, where she worked as a primary care and then secondary care rep. She later joined AstraZeneca running NHS projects, before joining STEM when it first launched a decade ago. She’s held a number of positions across the organisation and today is Head of Capability Development and Training.

  • I initially came to STEM for interview practice for another job, but I was so excited by the company, I couldn’t wait to join.

    I completely bought into the STEM concept of measuring and analysing industry data to impact on teams’ performance, and because the education you get here about the pharmaceutical industry is absolutely second to none. We have an unrivalled, holistic view of everything – we work with virtually every company, across all therapy areas and we see every brand plan and innovation in the industry as it happens.
    That means we know what good looks like, so we can help our clients accelerate performance. We’re at the forefront of the industry – and that’s really exciting.

  • Because we see everything in the industry, we can add so much value for our clients.

    When a client comes to you with their strategy or brand plan and you’ve got that experience of being involved in thousands of projects, you understand what will work well and what challenges they’ll face.
    Personally, I really like the way we help our clients. We work with many of the same teams each year and see the impact of our insights and how they develop. We become a trusted and valued partner.

  • I get to work with and develop fantastic people from around the world every day.

    We have a lot of amazing people at STEM, who really know their stuff, but whatever you do there’s lots of support and training to help you. Part of my job involves running clinics where colleagues can dial in with the project they’re working on and we can discuss their ideas or trouble-shoot problems.
    I’m also involved in onboarding and ensuring we have the training in place so everyone has the tools and skills to do their job. Developing our talent is really important to us and helps our company continue to evolve and excel in the future.

  • You can actually see the difference your work makes.

    At STEM you have freedom to be really creative and there’s a lot of collaboration between teams and cross-fertilisation of ideas. When you present results to clients, show them their strengths and opportunities, and then watch that evolution, you get a lot of satisfaction. We make such a big impact.

  • I can work from home, have a family and still have the career I want.

    I’m the master of my diary and I have the freedom to do what’s right for supporting and developing colleagues and for our clients. I’ve worked remotely for 10 years and it’s perfect for me; some prefer to be in the offices, but it’s all very flexible. Wherever you work, you still get the support and camaraderie of the STEM team.
    In fact, I’m incredibly grateful for all the support and opportunities I’ve had since day one. I can honestly say I’ve never even been tempted to go elsewhere. I think that says a lot about the company and it’s only getting better as we evolve with the industry and continue to bring even more talent to our organisation. It’s still a very exciting organisation to be part of.