Meet the team: Azi Uzuh – First Project Management Team Leader

Overview:
“We have such a great group of talented people who really care.”

Azi Uzuh began her career in investment banking with J.P.Morgan before joining STEM in 2017 as a Business Analyst. Two years later she moved into project management and in March 2022 she became our North America team’s first project manager team leader.

You don’t need a pharma background to do well here.
STEM was my introduction to the pharmaceutical industry. I started as a Business Analyst, which gave me the chance to begin learning the ins and outs of the industry, such as team structure and dynamics within the commercial and medical space, what the clients’ goals are, and how different teams create that ‘surround sound’ for customers in order to hit a brand’s goals. As a Business Analyst, I played a role in analyzing all the insights collected by our field team, identifying data trends that show a team’s alignment and execution. The goal is to not only highlight strengths and opportunities, but to take it a step further to identify a root cause: why is the team performing well in some areas and not others? You’re essentially using data to tell a story and provide insights that are actionable. It’s always exciting to see our work being used by the client.

I’m a people person so project manager was the ideal next step.
I enjoy being client-facing, so I felt becoming a project manager lined up well with my personality and skills. It was a learning curve because it was fast-paced. I felt I was still getting to know the industry, but I had plenty of support and it was a great opportunity for me to grow my career.

Within a couple of years, I was leading our expanding team of project managers.
We’ve grown rapidly as a company, so new roles are being developed all the time to build more structure. I’m the first project management team leader and my job is to ensure the team has the structure, support and leadership to deliver the best for our clients. A lot of promotions here are internal. It can be challenging because that means people are often moving out of roles, but it’s also exciting if you’re ambitious because opportunities are always being created.

STEM helped me identify my strengths to become a better leader.
Once I was able to recognize those strengths through StrengthsFinder, a personal development tool developed by Gallup Education, it helped me focus on my development. I’m someone who’s good at building relationships with people, and I’m there to support my team beyond work. I’m also focused on making sure we’re a team of excellence. Everyone here is very motivated and they want to do well. We have a mixture of new and more experienced project managers, but they’re always assisting each other and looking for opportunities to grow. I appreciate that.

This is a place where you can be your true self.
There’s an open, collaborative, fast-paced environment at STEM and a real entrepreneurial vibe, perhaps because we’re growing so quickly. You do need to be someone who’s open-minded and adaptable to change and new ways of working. Be ready to learn! It’s been an interesting journey, seeing the company expand and continue to bring in new ideas. I think one of the reasons we were able to survive the pandemic is because we have such a great group of talented people who really care about succeeding – and seeing others succeed.