Raushan Nurakhatova
General Director, Ferrer Kazakhstan LLP
– What was your professional career?
In 2000, I graduated from the Kazakhstan Medical University with a specialty in therapy. I had some experience working as a district therapist and an "ambulance" doctor. In 2002, I started my career in pharmaceutical company as a medical representative. I went through all stages – from a representative to the head of a representative office in the large region of Central Asia and the Caucasus. I have worked in both sales and marketing, and I find both to be very interesting. Throughout the past 12 years, I have managed both people and business processes. From the beginning, I enjoyed working for a pharmaceutical company. Every stage of my career and every position brought satisfaction, perhaps this helped to advance my career easily and without stress.
– What skills are needed to succeed in the pharmaceutical field?
The basic skills for achieving success in any field are usually soft skills. You should love people and forgive them, this allows you to move forward. The pharmaceutical field is vital to the population and requires mandatory compliance with ethical rules and the ability to learn throughout the professional career. It is necessary not only to observe the activities of competitors on the market but also to be aware of scientific developments and to study the results of clinical trials.
In pharmaceuticals, knowledge in the fields of pharmacy, medicine (therapy), business, legislation, and management (from administration to effective communication) are closely linked. In order to achieve success in our field one should accept the fact that we work in a socially significant industry being an important link in the general chain of those who save lives, including our relatives and loved ones.
– Would you like to highlight one of the women from our field who inspired you?
In my opinion, Martine Rothblatt deserves admiration in our field. She is transgender (born male) and her life is worth filming. Martine began her career in satellite communication and telecommunications, studied astronomy, worked at NASA, and was passionate about aviation. In 1994, her daughter was diagnosed with a rare fatal disease – primary pulmonary hypertension. In 1996, Martin founded the pharmaceutical company United Therapeutics, which developed the original drug treprostinil (Remodulin, Taivaso), which not only helps patients with this deadly disease but also allow women who most often suffer from it to enjoy motherhood, which was impossible before.
– Where can students get experience and knowledge in pharmaceuticals?
It depends on how you see yourself in this complex mechanism: a developer, a manufacturer, an administrator, a consultant, a pharmacist, etc. Experience can only be gained by working in a pharmaceutical company. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the company's processes, as well as learn how global and internal work rules are enforced, it is advisable to start with the basics and work your way through all the stages.
– What are your wishes for young specialists?
The ability and desire to learn, learn about everything new is the most important condition for success in the pharmaceutical industry. Regardless of the field in which you received your primary education, be prepared for change. Don't be afraid to dive into fields completely unrelated to your major. Always remember our industry's core mission is to make people healthier, and to prolong or improve their quality of life.
