I interviewed Senior specialist at the Global Vaccine Strategy unit of Merck, Avneet Ghuman, to understand how her recent MBA studies at Fordham Gabelli School of Business prepared her for her current role. She discusses some of her self-reflections, and what are the advice she can give arising healthcare business pioneers of today.

Hello Avneet! Firstly, happy birthday (Avneet’s birthday is in July)! And thank you for accepting this week’s interview! To start, could you share with our readers a little bit about who you are, and the kinds of work you do for Merck?

Thank you so much for the warm welcome and birthday wishes, Phoebe!

I am a person highly interested in affecting positive change in this world, particularly through biotech, health, and wellness through the vessel of business. The work I do for Merck is primarily surrounding streamlining strategy for internal Vaccine processes within the Global Human Health division.

It’s truly very interesting work and I am very grateful to have this position.

What inspired you to pursue this position?

I was inspired to pursue this position when I was interviewing for internal position during my internship at Merck. I was intrigued by the role Merck was playing in the vaccine space as we were in the first few months of the pandemic at that point. This role seemed impactful and that was exactly where I wanted to be.

How did the ideas of business strategies shape your current perspectives of medical innovation?

Medical innovation is for the people. While internal strategies must take all stakeholders into account- if it does not help people or make their lives better it is not worth investing in. And when it helps people and is affective, only then can you really start fleshing out a proper strategy that satisfies all the stakeholders involved in pushing a medical product to the market.

Are there any personality traits or habits you think every leader should have?

Selfless and a good communicator. A good leader will make sure they are putting their constituents first and will make sure they are communicating in an organized and compassionate fashion. It is easy to talk and try to make yourself sound intelligent, but it is hard to be compassionate and make complex ideas easy to digest for all listeners. All of these things go hand in hand. A good leader always eats last.

Whose career inspires you, and why? Who do you admire?

I always found Beyonce’s career fascinating. She really survived intense media scrutiny through several points in her career and managed to finely hone her craft despite being so busy and highly visible in the media. It takes intense focus and a very good sense of self to not lose yourself when your career is as intense and personal as hers. She seems to have a great team around her.

What are some of the major challenges you face in your career? And what keeps you motivated to solve them instead of quitting?

The major challenges I’m facing in my career are constantly learning how to absorb new information and integrate it into my workflow.

You can always learn more and know more but finding ways to apply it and make it useful is really where the value in education comes in. What keeps me motivated is seeing the success of my peers and want to stand shoulder to shoulder with such brilliant people.

I find their work ethic and dedication so inspiring, and I know I would like to strive to be in their shoes one day.

If you were to start all over again, would you have done anything differently?

If I were to do it all over again- I would be more open. I tend to be shy outside of professional contexts, and it can sometimes hurt me. I find that talking more about my experiences, struggles and triumphs with my colleagues on a personal level has proven to be more cathartic than anything. I find myself getting great advice and anecdotes on how to succeed when I am more open.

I would also find out what motivates me. It changed at different points in my life. So, it’s important to check in with yourself and find out if your purpose or motivations have changed. I know mine did during the pandemic.

If you weren’t working for Merck, what career would you like to explore?

Ironically- I didn’t apply for any jobs outside of Merck. I landed exactly where I desired. However, if I did explore elsewhere, I would consider Management Consulting at the big three (Bain, McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group) or M&A Law within the Private Equity or Venture Capital Space.

I truly loved being in Medical Aesthetics so being in Biotech or HealthTech would be preferred. These all intrigue me a bunch and seem to run in the vein or analysing businesses and processes or being administrative support to these functions.

What advice do you have for youths who also aspires to work in the field of medical innovation and business strategies?

The advice I have for youths interested in BioTech, Pharma, HealthTech and medical innovation is to never stop learning! Immerse yourself in all aspects of the field by analyzing startups, looking at what’s going on in the VC and PE world, speaking with consultants in Biotech, physicians, and researchers. Be open to hard science and natural remedies. They all are focused in on improving the health and wellness of others. This has made me a more well-rounded person.

What’s next for Avneet?

Haha, I love this question! I would love to still be at Merck and hopefully promoted to a higher position. Hopefully I would have contributed to the world on a global scale, and made the health and lives of people better in some way, shape or form.

How can businesses prompt medical innovation around the world?