WIB-Capital Region: Explore a Career in Alliance Management

During our March 7 webinar, Shameen Afif-Rider, Senior Director, Alliance Management AstraZeneca, spoke about exploring careers in alliance management. She captivated the audience with her career journey, revealing that her aspiration to become a veterinarian began when she was just six years old. After graduating from college, she worked at Oread Biosafety, a preclinical contract research organization (CRO) in Connecticut. There, she gained a broad understanding of preclinical toxicology and trained under a surgical research specialist. She then joined Covance, another preclinical CRO, in Virginia, where she took on her first line management role. Later, she moved to Gene Logic, a third preclinical CRO, where she served as an IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) Administrator. Her IACUC experience ultimately led to a position at AstraZeneca, where she worked in Regulatory Affairs, Study Monitoring, and Alliance Management.

Throughout her journey, Shameen demonstrated how her diverse work experiences connected and helped pave the way to her current role. In her discussion on Alliance Management, she explained that it involves fostering strategic partnerships between companies and ensuring effective collaboration to achieve shared goals. To be a successful alliance manager, individuals must possess key skills in stakeholder management, strategic thinking, relationship building, negotiating, cross-functional leadership, and change management. Shameen also emphasized the importance of "executive presence," a combination of soft skills, including effective communication (such as public speaking), adaptability, strategic thinking for future innovation, and leadership. Furthermore, she emphasized the importance of additional skills for a thriving career in alliance management, including cultural awareness, financial acumen, and project management abilities.

To prepare for this role—and any career—Shameen recommended focusing on time management, gaining relevant education and experience, seeking exposure to the field, and above all, cultivating a positive mindset. The talk concluded with a dynamic Q&A session, demonstrating that the audience found her presentation not only fascinating but also very valuable.

WIB members can view the event recording here.

Submitted by Nhung Hoang