A Little Help from my Friends:
Mentors, Coaches, and Sponsors
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Satinder “Sut” Ahuja, Ahuja Consulting, Calabash, NC
Sue Franz, Gentex, Zeeland, MI
Stephen Scypinski, Bristol-Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ
Robert Vetrecin, Ethicon, Somerville NJ
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
Bob Vetrecin will lead off the workshop with a section on Mentoring. Mentoring means you helping a colleague, with advice, information, or just a suggestion about a difficulty. This is different from what a supervisor does, and it may be about the company culture, or the unwritten rules, or the personalities involved. Bob has a lot of great stories related to mentoring, based on experiences both inside and outside of Ethicon. He remembers the inspired mentoring of Galen Ewing at Seton Hall, which led Bob to a decades-long research interest in advanced surface treatments of metals and polymers. Bob says “Mentoring is like Parenting — extending support and advice to those seeking help or direction.”
Sponsorship may be less familiar than Mentoring. It is usually practiced by a more senior manager, such as Stephen Scypinski, and relates to “greasing the skids” for a lower-ranked worker with an untried proposal, new analytical method to be tested, or new project. Like Mentoring, Sponsorship includes advice-giving, but also has elements of making valuable introductions within the organization, expressing support for the proposed enterprise, and providing political alliances at budget time.
The term Networking reminds most people of Social Networking, which is certainly a great way to bring answers to questions. But face-to-face networking is a better starting point, since networking means passing on more than information, but also background, the “vibes” of a situation, and personal trust.
A senior manager at one company was famous for clearing his schedule for a while, leaving the office door open, and sitting with his feet on the desk. Anyone could look in and say hello, or stop in for a moment. He heard all the rumors and problems before they became serious.
Networking means staying connected — with other departments, non-professional employees, and industry groups. It means taking the time for social interactions. You will hear about questions that you never knew you needed to ask. You will also get a lot of contacts, and some great friends. Sue Franz will talk about achieving your professional goals –– and how you can to find the mentors, sponsors and coaches you need. Sut Ahuja has a network that covers six continents –– we can learn from him.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This workshop is designed for workers — non-professionals, professionals, and managers, in complex or fast-changing organizations, industries or business climates. These three techniques cover what you need beyond the rules and procedures.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS
Satinder “Sut” Ahuja received his Ph.D from The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. He worked in a succession of leadership positions over 28 years at Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis). In 1994, he started his own consulting company to advise companies and organizations on pharmaceutical R&D and water quality. He is author and editor of a large number of books on analytical, pharmaceutical, chiral, chromatographic, and water quality issues. He co-edited, with Stephen Scypinski, the textbook “Handbook of Modern Pharmaceutical Analysis.” He has a continuing interest in water quality and purity, across the world. He has worked with many governments and international organizations such as UNESCO, IUPAC, and Rivers of the World. Sut has made a substantial bequest to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to set up the Academy of Water Quality, which supports faculty and student research with scholarships and fellowships.
Sue Franz is Vice President of Chemistry, Gentex Corporation. After she earned her masters degree in Analytical Chemistry (Jilin University, Changchun, PRC) she came to the United States on full scholarship and in 1989 received her Ph.D in Chemistry from Villanova. She worked for 8 years as Applications Lab Manager for a spectrometer manufacturer. In 1997, Sue joined Gentex as an Analytical Chemist, and over the past 16 years, has held various positions with increasing responsibilities. At Gentex, she has found time to earn additional degrees: an MBA and an advanced certification in “six sigma” Quality. In her current position, she has strategic, corporate responsibilities, and also leads a large team in chemical process development, manufacturing support and quality control of chemicals.
Stephen Scypinski is Vice President, Analytical & Bioanalytical Development for the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. He oversees a staff of 350, world-wide. After receiving his Ph.D from Seton Hall in 1984, he has always been involved in analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry research and applications. He is active in the scientific community, having served in leadership positions in the Eastern Analytical Symposium, the Laboratory Robotics Interest Group, and the Analytical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society. Stephen has published over 30 publications and is co-editor, with Satinder Ahuja, of the textbook “Handbook of Modern Pharmaceutical Analysis.”
Robert Vetrecin is a retired Research Fellow in R&D at Ethicon. After a degree in polymer chemistry, he expanded his scope to include a variety of analytical chemical techniques, while at Beckman Instruments. Later, at the Ethicon division of J&J, he applied his knowledge in several technical fields to medical devices, a field also involving the complexities of FDA, biomedical engineering, clinical trials and international patent law. He has fond memories of his many mentors, including Professor Ewing, and a supportive manager at Ethicon, Alvin Melveger.