Roche is all about innovation, and in Technical Regulatory Affairs we play a key role in enabling the introduction of new technologies into our manufacturing and analytical network.
Hi, my name is Gordon and I’m a Technical Regulatory Affairs leader based in Roche Basel. Soon after completing my university studies in Pharmacy, I began my career in the field of regulatory affairs. I have to say that, at that time, I wasn’t really sure what I was letting myself in for, but I was curious and quickly came to love the challenge of navigating and shaping the ever evolving regulatory landscape in order to deliver lifesaving medicines to patients.
I was lucky enough to have been able to combine my passion for seeing new places and experiencing new cultures with my chosen career. Five years ago, after working for a number of pharmaceutical companies in Ireland and Italy, I had the opportunity to move to Switzerland with my family and join Roche.
In my current position, I am the Technical Regulatory lead for a number of projects aimed at introducing innovative technologies into the Roche manufacturing and analytical network. This involves close partnership with stakeholders to understand and test these technologies, identifying potential challenges and developing appropriate solutions to enable implementation. We are generally navigating unchartered waters, with little precedence or available guidance to point us in the right direction. There are risks but there are also great opportunities to engage in scientific and regulatory discussions with industry groups and health authorities to find appropriate pathways and even influence the creation of new guidelines.
My typical day at work starts with a local team huddle but after that each day is different. There are always new challenges that pop up, opportunities to collaborate with brilliant and committed colleagues across the network, learn something new and add value for patients.