Andy started working for Flen Health almost 6 years ago. He has seen the growth of some of our products in the UK market. Learn more about how his journey started and what drives his motivation.

Tell us a little bit about yourself (background, hobbies, …).

I live just outside of Manchester, in the UK. I live with my long-term partner and two children; Ellie is 13 and Harrison is 6. I have had a military background; I spent, in total, the best part of 13 years within the British military, mainly spent in the Marines. My hobbies include going to the gym, cycling, and going to watch my football team, which is Manchester United. Other than that, I enjoy my family time and spending time with my friends.

How did your journey at Flen Health start?

OK. So, previous to working with Flen Health, I worked for a company called Crawford which distributed Flaminal® in the UK. I always enjoyed talking with the clinicians about Flaminal®, and the opportunity arose from basically, more than a couple of colleagues, but a couple of the senior management from Crawford who were moving to Flen Health to take Flaminal® and launch Flen Health UK. And I was very lucky that I was chosen or asked to be one of those people to move over to Flen Health, and from that point on, 1st of June, 2016, I became a Flenner. I started as a Territory Business Manager (TBM) in the northwest area of the UK, along with six other colleagues that had come over from Crawford. And then, three other colleagues that had started the business from outside of medical devices.

If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would it be and why?

Focused. I think this would be the word I would use and the reason for that is that I am quite dedicated to my job and I focus on many aspects of my work. So, the end result is the big thing, but not just the end result, it is also ensuring that I focus on the well-being of my team. The happiness of my team and ensuring that we focus on the purpose of Flen Health, which is obviously to help patients live the life they love. Also, to help the clinicians who in turn will help the patients to do just that.

What drives your motivation?

My motivation is driven by a vision and our purpose at Flen Health, to improve outcomes for patients. I do not want to say it sounds cheesy, however, after having dealt with it first hand and for example, my father being poorly and subsequently passing away, the motivation to make sure that the patient has the best possible care is what drives me mainly. Other than that, I'm motivated to be the best I can be, and I do like to be up there. Also, I am quite competitive. That is me; that is the wider team within the UK and then, that is even the wider team with Flen Health. So, my motivation would be to be the best we can be and be motivated to help each patient live a better life.

What has been your personal greatest success story (proudest moment) in the past 5 years at Flen Health?

My proudest moment, I think, would have been a team moment and it would have been the way that we performed as a UK team during the first year of Covid-19. To have our products put onto a national formulary for Nightingale hospitals, and just the general performance with the team going above and beyond at every single point in the year 2020, during the height of Covid-19.

Is it important to you to make an impact in your day-to-day life and at work? How so?

Yes, it is really important. Every day we wake up and in our personal lives and our work-life, if we don't make a positive difference in that day, then we have not achieved anything and it is been a wasted day. And so, for me, it is really important that I can positively impact. Not just any impact, a positive impact on my team, a positive impact on the performance of Flen Health and a positive impact on my family. So that is instilling good characteristics within my children. It is being a good father. It is been a good partner, and I am making sure that I am a positive role model; at work, as a manager to the team, and at home, as a father and a partner. So, making sure I am always a positive role model.

In the past 20 years, Flamigel® went from zero to hero and today is a market-leading skin healing product in countries like Belgium. How do you see the expansion of our products in markets like the UK / Ireland?

So, in terms of the expansion of our products, Flaminal® is currently a market leader in the UK, in terms of antimicrobials. The expansion I would see is with Flaminal® Hydro into the acute setting. The expansion of Flamigel® RT is still there. In the coming months and years, we aim to be the number one radiotherapy product in the UK with Flamigel® RT. Then, the expansion of products such as extracalm® and, potentially, Flamerins® into the UK. For Ireland, we are a brand-new affiliate in Ireland, so we have only been live since April. Flaminal® is a new product and we aim, again, to become the market leader in our category in Ireland. And then, expand with Flamigel® RT for radiotherapy patients in Ireland.

Do you have any advice for the young talents graduating in a time marked by an ongoing pandemic?

If I was to give a young person advice, particularly committing to sales, I would say: believe in the product; believe in the company and trust your managers and mentors. And also, believe in yourself.

Any last comments?

I suppose the other thing I would say is that since I joined, nearly six years ago, every day has been different. I love working for Flen Health. I love the ethos and I love working with the team, and I am excited to see where we go in the future.

Thank you, Andy!

Now, it is your turn to write your own success story at Flen Health!

Kristine started working at Flen Health 18 years ago and knows that key for growth is the will to proceed by taking initiatives. Let`s find out what gratitude has to do with her greatest motivation:

Can you describe yourself in one sentence?

A hands-on person with a preference for communication, messaging, visualisation, and organisation. I'm quite an integer person and like to work in a team.

How did you find your way to Flen?

That was already more than 18 years ago (time flies) which we just celebrated at the office. After some first work experiences, especially in the media, I joined Flen where I could apply these skills in daily practice. The innovative products in the wound care setting appealed to me, as well as being part of a company in full growth thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of its founder.

What makes you love your job?

Make a brand big and thanks to good products this is a very rewarding job to do. Also, the varied work and being in constant exchange with consumers, healthcare professionals (HCPs) and colleagues. What gives me great motivation is the positive feedback from grateful patients.

Is making an impact with your work important to you?

Yes, this is what not only drives me but all of us at Flen. Being proud to help and educate people in healing their skin and wounds. Helping people live the life they love is not only a motto, it’s what I implement on a daily basis in my job.

In the past 20 years Flamigel^® went from zero to hero and is today a market leading skin healing product in Belgium. What was your part in it?

It’s nice to be part of this story as from the beginning. Initially, I played a more overall role in the company but settled finally in the marketing department. Here, I developed e.g. the Flamigel^® marketing material for HCPs and end consumers (OTC/DTC), plus engaged in trade marketing. 18 years ago, I was the only person in marketing, today we are a 10 members strong team. Turning the product benefits and its working mechanism into a clear message helps to achieve our mission: help people live the life they love!

What was your personal greatest success in the past 18 years at Flen?

All successes are shared successes. Therefore, I don’t consider success as a personal achievement but excellent teamwork. It was great to see how Flen became first a very important leading player in the skin and wound care market in Belgium and meanwhile the company even evolved from a local to an international player with distribution over 30 countries across the world. Being part of all this and playing an active role is my greatest success.

Last but not least, any food for thoughts you could share with us?

Persistence is key :-) and key for growth is the will to proceed by taking initiatives: “Don’t wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect!”

Thank you, Kristine for sharing your experience with us.

Now it`s your turn to write your own success story at Flen Health!

Looking for career possibilities during a pandemic can be a challenge for young talents. Cedric took his opportunity when it came around!

Tell us more about yourself and how your journey at Flen Health started?

I am Cédric Van Speybroeck, 23 years old and live in Lievegem, Belgium. A couple of months ago I was still a student in business administration at the University of Ghent. As a part of my master program, I was given the opportunity to do an internship, which started with an exciting idea of going to New York due to previous school programmes. This idea remained just an idea as the pandemic put a lot of restrictions on travel. Therefore, it was not easy for me or any other student to find interesting opportunities. Luckily, I ended up on the phone with Hoai-Anh, the Digital Marketing Manager at Flen Health in summer 2020. She was very passionate about the digital marketing activities planned and I was immediately hooked, I still am!

How was it to begin an internship while a pandemic is going on?

Fortunately, due to less restrictive COVID regulations when I started, I was able to meet with the marketing team during my first two weeks. At least now, I know who is talking to me at the other end of a teams-call. Afterwards, I switched to working remotely, which was a challenge. Luckily, I had some great assistance whenever needed. Going fully digital is not easy, but it is the reality we live in now. We must adapt and make the most out of it. Therefore, I did my best to still be of value towards Flen Health and make sure my school assignments were as good as they can be. For example, I experienced a week of very late hours for preparing a presentation on my internship performance, practicing it repeatedly until it was perfect. This ended up with very positive feedback from university and an email in my inbox talking about an opportunity at Flen Health. I certainly took that opportunity!

Was it difficult for you to switch from your study focus Commercial Management to your new intern role in Digital Marketing?

In terms of activities, it is not that different. During my master, I had a lot of group assignments and practical information. Therefore, I was well prepared, but it is a big change non the less. The corporate mentality, fixed working hours, corporate etiquette, internal communication, … These are all things I had to learn how to deal with. Because as a student, the way you work is quite different.

So, you don`t regret taking a deep dive into the digital marketing world?

I do not regret it one bit. I was able to broaden my horizon and experience this technology-driven side of marketing first-hand. As more and more digital applications find their ways into our lives, which is especially accelerated during this pandemic, it is hard to think digital marketing away. Therefore, I think it is valuable for companies as well as for myself to learn, adapt and master this field.

What happened after your internship at Flen Health?

I finished my internship on the 18th of December. After that, I put my full focus on my master thesis. As the deadline came closer, I had to finalise research on sales enablement as well as conclude my results on the lead generation paper. They both turned out great, so I started preparing for my master thesis defence. I defended this on the 29th of January and started my journey at Flen Health as a Digital Marketing Assistant only three days later.

What was your proudest moment as a Flenner, so far?

There are quite a few. The first proud moment I had was during my 2nd week at Flen Health. I was immediately given the opportunity to brief an agency on a future campaign. I greatly appreciated the responsibility I was given and did my upper best to present something meaningful. With some great feedback, I was able to do this successfully. Through this whole journey at Flen Health, I have felt proud for so many things, it is the small wins on a daily/weekly basis that are awesome to experience. To just be a part of this and being able to call myself a Flenner, is something already to be proud of as well!

Is there any Food for thought you can give to young talents that graduate in a time, marked by an ongoing pandemic?

To keep making the most out of it. It is definitely not easy for young people like me to maintain motivated for all of this. I find it personally hard to deal with these life-changing moments that suddenly do not feel that special anymore. I remember receiving my diploma in an email, which felt like receiving a WhatsApp with a “lol” at the end. Nothing changes, no festivities, no real ‘hurray’-moment. But this should not stop us young graduates. The grind is on and we will be able to celebrate these moments later as well. For now, keep on striving for the best version of yourself. Only by doing so, you will get the most out of your given opportunities and will not regret it later. Make sure you have something to celebrate about!

Now it`s your turn to write your own success story at Flen Health!

Tuesday recently joined the team & kindly shares with us her on-boarding experience at Flen Health.

Hi Tuesday, can you please introduce yourself a little?

Of course. My name is Tuesday Lowndes, I will be 29 very soon. I am originally from England but moved over to Luxembourg almost 3 years ago. I have worked previously in the pharmaceutical industry as a quality assurance microbiologist, but I was hired by Flen as an R&D specialist assistant. Covering for the loss of one of the specialist researchers in the Luxembourg lab who is currently on Maternity leave. 

When would you say that your on-boarding started?

I think probably, my first week at Flen. Prior to then I had spoken a little with my hiring manager and HR rep, for interviews and a brief description of the job. But a major part of my on-boarding took place during my first two weeks. The on-boarding was quite intensive, including a lot of specialist presentations lead by the heads of almost every department in Flen. The presentations themselves were really interesting and informed me on every aspect of Flen; from Products, to Quality control, to Marketing in different countries. Everyone was super friendly and open to questions and discussions, both during the presentations and any time after. It was a unique experience as I have never worked in a place where everyone is so easy to contact and welcome to communication. It’s both charming and super useful. 

Good to hear your start at Flen was so positive but still, that sounds like a lot of information you received in your first weeks. Hope it wasn`t too much?

No, the trainings were all very interactive and not too long, which gave us time to discuss questions and take-in all the information. I also did some research on my own before starting at Flen, so I was better prepared for some of the presentations.

A real researcher, I see! How was your first contact with your direct colleagues in the office, face to face?

Really nice. I remember that on my first day, the co-worker who I would train with forgot her badge at home, so the day started with a laugh. Also, because of this, I was introduced to some of the staff in the upstairs office and taken around the communal areas first. I learned that most days, everyone tries to eat lunch together (socially distant of course), which is lovely. Back in the lab, I was given my own working space and introduced to all the equipment they have, which was really cool. There were a few items I had never seen in person. As always, everyone was very friendly and encouraged questions and overall gave off a really welcoming and motivating atmosphere.

You started your new position during Covid restrictions, did you feel “left alone” at any point?

No, not at all. To the contrary – It made things easier: I met my colleagues slowly over time which made it easier to remember names, faces, functions, etc. It also allowed me to get dedicated training and introductions into one of the R&D projects at a time, instead of trying to learn all of them in one go.

Would you say, “on-boarding is successfully completed”?

I think so, yes. The first few weeks were good for getting me up-to speed; groups, managers, sales, products, the works. During this time and after, I worked closely with my team members in the lab, to educate me on their projects and practical’s so that I can assist them moving forward. I am not yet fully versed on all projects, but I am already really invested into 2 projects that I am interested in and supporting with all my time and knowledge. I am excited to progress and to expand my presence into future projects and investigations.

Is there anything you would like to add from your side, anything you missed or that we could do better in on-boarding new Flenners?

I don’t think there was anything really missed by the training. However, I would like to add, Scott, VP International Sales, told me that he hopes the Flen Academy will soon be ready to go. It`s an online platform accessible for all Flenners. This will make the on-boarding even easier and more interactive, I believe. I think it will be a great asset for not only new hires, but also existing personnel that maybe missed out on learning about other sectors and departments within Flen. I am also very thankful for the cute Flamigel first-aid bag that I received, with samples of all Flen Health’s products and fun little gadgets, too. It was an adorable and welcoming gesture.

It was great speaking with you about your first experience as a Flenner. Thank you, Tuesday.

Now it`s your turn to write your own success story at Flen Health!