Astrid Fremau joined Flen Health about three (3) years ago. She was recently promoted to Medical Affairs Manager. Learn more about how her journey started and what drives her motivation.

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

About one year and a half ago, my partner Ward and I bought a house in a village called Keerbergen - a wonderful, forested place. Keerbergen is about a 30 to 40-minute drive from everywhere; Brussels, Leuven, Mechelen, and even our office in Kontich. 

I am a Bioscience Engineer. I studied for five years in Leuven (together with Marie Van der Gucht from our R&D team). After these five years in Leuven, I went to the Antwerp Management School to do a full-time Master’s in Management, which included courses on Strategic Management, Financial Management, Marketing & Sales Management, Innovation Management and so on. Super cool to do!

One of my hobbies is playing frisbee - yes, that is a sport, and it is called Ultimate Frisbee. It is intense and a great team sport. Next to Ultimate Frisbee, I have recently started playing padel. I play the piano once in a while, and I am an ex-Scout. The latter implies that during the summer, I can be found with the whole Scouts group somewhere on a meadow, with our tents, surrounded by cows, in the Ardennes.

How did your journey at Flen Health start?

After I spent that year in Antwerp, I was asked to start a PhD at the University Hospital, so I moved back to Leuven. That was pre-clinical research on lung infectious diseases. The first months of that PhD were interesting. But after almost one year, my days consisted of imaging anaesthetized mice in a small CT scanner, from 08h00 until 20h00. After spending more than 300 hours with them, I can tell you - as a professional - mice did not talk back, unfortunately.

My energy level, slowly but steadily, decreased, and the loneliness went the opposite direction: I decided to quit the PhD after one year and four months, which was a very hard decision to make. But from where I am now, I believe it is one of the best decisions I have made so far on a professional level.

Around that time, I came across an open position listed for a company called Flen Health. I was curious about it because like 99% of the Belgian population, my first reaction when reading Flen Health was, 'huh, what company?' Then you learn, 'Ah, it is the company behind Flamigel®.' Because, of course, a big percentage of people in Belgium know Flamigel®. And so, due to my curiosity and being a great fit with the team members, (starting with those I met during my interviews and others like Kristine Vanlinthout), I began my journey at Flen Health!

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

Curious. I am curious from the morning until the evening. Asking plenty of questions to know the ‘why’ behind something is in many ways a good thing; however, for my close colleagues it is sometimes, let’s say ‘exhaustive’. But do not worry since we are still a wonderful team together!

What drives your motivation?

Let me tell you a story about something that happened two weeks after I joined Flen Health. I had a conversation with the mother of a very good friend of mine. She is also a General Practitioner for more than 25 years. When I told her that I had joined Flen Health with the products Flamigel® and Flaminal®, she said to me, 'Astrid, in wound care, that is the best company you could have selected. These products are not just great, they mean a world of difference for so many patients.' She said it was a great choice and wished me good luck.

Since that conversation, I have had many more conversations with clinicians with a similar message. Hearing such things from these field experts is a key aspect that drives my motivation.

What has been your personal greatest success story (proudest moment) in the last three (3) years at Flen Health?

That is a difficult question. I think for me, it is a lot of small successes together that are making me feel proud. In the Medical department, one of our key responsibilities is training new staff and/or giving updated training to current staff. For example, in the case of our sales representatives, when I have trained them extensively on our products, or our (pre)-clinical papers, and so on, it is so rewarding to see and hear them a couple of months later, talking to clinicians with confidence regarding the topics we covered. I believe that is what makes me proud the most.

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

YES! (In capital letters). It is crucial. Is it not this what we, human beings, need to drive us forward?

Now, the fortunate thing is that here, at Flen Health, we all make an impact: every single day, and in every single department. In the Medical department, for example, we are closely involved with Clinical, Sales, Marketing, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, R&D and so on, but also with our healthcare professionals and our patients.

Perhaps, to make it more concrete, I will tell you a short and very recent example: Eddy (a Belgian resident) called me last week to tell me about his 94-year-old mother. After trying at least 15 different products, only Extracalm® was able to make the unbearable itch of his mother bearable for a couple of hours. So, after discussing with Eddy a few things about Extracalm®, he asked me whether we might still have one spare bottle for his mother, as he could not find it in the pharmacy anymore. This was almost an impossible question (with the stock issues, etc). With the support from Kelly Van der Aa and the whole Belgian sales team, we were able to help the mother of Eddy. It may seem small, but that is what I call making an impact and we did it as a team.

In the past 20 years, Flamigel® went from zero to hero and today is a market-leading skin healing product in countries like Belgium. Considering new markets (i.e. the US), how do you see the evolution of our products (medical devices to biopharma)?

We stay close to the healthcare professionals, and we stay close to the patients. We do not always need to talk, sometimes we just need to listen. Listening to our customers is very important and that is what we do. That is what made us a hero and that is what will ensure that we keep on growing, every single day.

What advice do you have for young talents that are getting ready or are preparing themselves to go into the field of medicine, clinical or pharmaceutical for that matter?

That is a good question. I would say: dare to ask questions and make sure to believe in your own capabilities. Also, and that is important for everyone, I believe in communicating with colleagues from your/other departments. At certain moments, it is valuable to take a step back and ask yourself, ‘Why did this person react the way he/she did?’ When you can answer that question, it will [for sure] strengthen your future collaborations with this specific person.

Any final comments?

Working at Flen Health for the past three years has been with ups and downs. I am not going to pretend that there were no challenging periods. Now, what is and always has been important to me is that the sum of the drained energy and the energy gained from the work I have done is and remains positive.

My final-final comment then: Thank you, Jorge, for taking the time for this interview. I appreciated it!

Thank you, Astrid!

Nu is het jouw beurt om je eigen succesverhaal te schrijven bij Flen Health!

Gilles Brackman joined Flen Health over 6 years ago. Currently, he is the VP of Research & Development, Quality Assurance, and Regulatory Affairs. Learn more about how his journey started and what drives his motivation.

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

I live close to Ghent in Belgium with my partner Daphne and our French Bulldog. I am a pharmacist with an Executive Master’s in Business administration and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Microbiology) and have a big interest in everything that has to do with innovation management and strategy. I would consider myself a lifelong learner, both in my professional life and from a personal point of view. I love to travel, go for walks, and experience new cultures, and places and discover new things. I like experimenting in my vegetable garden and enjoy a game of golf when I still have some time, which unfortunately is not always the case.

How did your journey at Flen Health start? And what was it about the company that attracted you?

Before I joined Flen Health, I was developing patented technologies and doing fundamental and applied research on novel therapies for infectious and inflammatory diseases. For one of these innovations, and while looking for commercial partners also in the field of wound care, I came in contact with Flen health and Philippe Sollie. Initially, we started discussing the technology and exploring potential routes for commercialisation, yet at a certain point, these conversations also involved why Flen Health was created and how the innovative technologies at Flen Health were also built from our own research. Especially at a certain moment, I think that there was a kind of match both in terms of what we have been doing before as well as in a vision and strategy for the future in this field. So, instead of licensing the technology, Philippe asked me whether I would join Flen Health and build an R&D department. So, I started on the 1ste of August 2016 and after initially successfully setting up a Research and development structure, the opportunity came to further build and futureproof also the activities of our Quality and Regulatory departments.

I must admit, that after our initial conversations on our company’s vision, which was the reason I started 6 years ago, today I still enjoy developing this vision further. One which is becoming more and more visible.

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

I would say innovative, mainly because in R&D, as well as in life, nothing is certain. You are thinking about ideas around solving an unmet need in a way that might be difficult to imagine and by applying technologies and methods that sometimes have not fully been created or validated. So, there is sometimes little to build on and the solution is sometimes very conceptual to imagine. So, I think all these elements expect that you are innovative. In the way that you imagine a vision around an idea as well as around the opportunities present to put the idea into reality. Even if this road to development might not be clear or established, you are innovative enough to already use what is present in such a way that it may fit a purpose. Perhaps, it might not have been built for that purpose, but you are innovative enough to see the plausible opportunities.

If you look at, let's say in the last 20 years, my studies while doing my PhD, the research and technologies developed before and while joining Flen Health, they are full of examples where I had a goal in mind and not necessarily a clear path or opportunity present to obtain it. And where a lot of insights were created by stepping outside the specific fields, even when these initially were being questioned. So together with the lifelong learning aspect, I like to change the unknown against the odds. And I think that is why I say that I am innovative. It requires a kind of mindset to do this.

What drives your motivation?

If you think about everything that we just said, I think it is being impactful with a purpose. I am motivated by working on challenges that can change someone's life. It's a kind of sense of accomplishment to know that you have developed something, or you change something that positively impacted people’s lives. Think about all the innovations that were developed at Flen Health and how they provide a solution for an unmet need of people suffering from infectious and inflammatory diseases. When we look back at the treatments being used and can say that you were able to contribute to these helping a patient get better, I mean for me, that's all about being impactful and that's really what motivates me now as well as motivates our team.

What has been your personal greatest success story (proudest moment) in the last six (6) years at Flen Health?

At first sight, there might be a lot to choose from. We have been setting up (from scratch) research facilities, have secured funding grants, were able to win competitive collaborations in the US and had our R&D activities already leading to the first new patents and the new product developed in years. Yet, thinking about this, if I am honest, what I am most proud of is that I have created a wonderful team of like-minded people. As well as a structure to be innovative, to be curious, do what they love to do, make mistakes, feel OK and learn from it and at the same time, be very efficient in what they are doing. If I need to pick one aspect, that sums it up for me.

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

Well, I think I already said that being impactful is a key motivator, a key driver. So, on that question, is it important for me to make an impact, yes. And especially in the type of work that we are doing. If you do not feel an impact with what you are doing, then you miss the purpose of why you are doing it. In our day-to-day activities, it should always be in our minds - the idea we are doing this to change somebody's life by developing cures that are currently not present.

I know that seeing that final impact might not always be that easy, especially in R&D where it takes years before these products come to the market. Yet, this makes it even more important to have that realization that your day-to-day activities can make an impact right away and each day is an opportunity to get closer to your goal. Finding a new insight by doing the right analysis, conducting new experiments, and talking to patients to understand their unmet needs. I think that being aware that even with these small things you have the opportunity to maybe change someone’s life in 10 years, is exactly the impact that you could feel day-to-day when being in R&D. But that is my opinion.

In the past 20 years, Flamigel® went from zero to hero and today is a market-leading skin healing product in countries like Belgium. From your perspective, how is Flen Health innovating the medical device market with our current wound and skin healing solutions?

First of all, we have a unique set of products in the way they can provide solutions to unmet needs. Based on the feedback we are getting, if you have a wound that does not heal with most of the products on the market, it's usually able to heal with ours. And although there are so many products on the market for wound care. Their activity and safety are only one of the features that make them stand out. People should not have to worry about the use of it at home. For many products, we must consider side effects and the application needs to be done in a specific way. With our line of products and the way that they are innovatively based on the combination of ingredients: it is not only the enzyme system, or the alginate, it's a combination of the substrates of the alginate of the enzymes all in one. This combination allows the user not to worry about the treatment.

Secondly, it is like that in every new market that we go into with our products. The feedback that we get is that there are no similar products out there. Even in the US, which I believe, is one of the leading markets or the leading market in the world, there is no such product available. And this is a leading market in the world, seen as one of the most innovative ones. Yet, if we present Flaminal® to this market, it would be unique and innovative.

What makes them stand out is that most other products rely on one or a few features; a specific ingredient or a specific indication or application. For me, what makes our products like Flaminal® innovative is that it's not just one aspect, but a combination of all the aspects brought together. It's innovative in the type of ingredients and the combination in which they are used. It's innovative in the fact that from a user perspective its use is very versatile, and so are the indications. At the same time, it's also innovative in terms of the results that you obtain on different types of wounds. If this is not an indication of its innovativeness, then what is?

What advice would you give to young talents as they prepare to go into the field of Research and Development?

In terms of advice, only looking at what worked well for me and what enabled me to grow as a person, and as a professional, would be that first of all, follow your passion and your purpose. Follow what motivates you, because in R&D you will come across challenges, and even if you are successful, timelines are very long before you have your product on the market. So first and most important, find out what motivates you. Find your passion. Whether it's diseases or indications or something else like the type of technology, follow your passion because that same passion will drive you through also the difficult moments that you may experience within your research. The second aspect would be to not settle too quickly for a status quo and to try out things. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself or be faced with (your) limits. Because it's only by challenging yourself to do new things, trying and learning about topics you might not be experienced in and constantly learning from this that you will be able to grow, but also to do research and development and innovation. You cannot do innovation by doing the same thing, In the way that it was done before by people that have already done it. So, that's the second word of advice that I would give because I think if you combine that passion with the kind of lifelong learning aspect where you are not afraid to take risks and challenge yourself and you then find a company or a manager or people that will support you in developing these skills. Well then, I can tell you, you will be in for an exciting ride.

Any final comments?

I joined Flen Health six years ago because there was a clear match between on one side my background experiences and my vision, drive to make a difference, learn, grow and innovate and on the other side the vision of Flen Health. I am grateful to be able to further develop that vision, to develop new insights, new research, and new products together with a great team of people in the last six years. I am excited to see all the developments and research that we have been working on in the past six years, truly coming to the market and truly making a difference in people's lives.

Thank you, Gilles, for sharing your experience with us.

Nu is het jouw beurt om je eigen succesverhaal te schrijven bij Flen Health!

Anna started working for Flen Health about 10 months ago as the Legal & Compliance Manager. Learn more about how her journey started and what drives her motivation.

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

What would be interesting, perhaps, is to tell you a little bit about everything.

I am 37, and I have a small family of my own: a husband and a child of a year and a half. We live in Brussels. It has been about 5.5 years since I moved to Belgium from Ukraine. I moved for family reasons, as my husband is Belgian.
 
Professionally, I am a lawyer. With such a background, moving between countries and staying on the same track is a bit of a challenge. So, career-wise it was not easy for me to start here. First, I joined the European Commission and worked there for the Anti-Bribery Office. Then, after two other companies, I joined Flen Health. For me, all of this was a big career turn. 

Back in Ukraine, I worked for about 10 years in different law firms; very focused on legal issues, if I may say so. Since I moved to Belgium, I have been mostly with the business working as what they call an in-house lawyer. The culture is different, and the scope is broader, and I figured out that working in business means lifetime learning. 

Lifetime learning is something that I am most passionate about, rather than biking, doing other sports, or whatever. And, I love learning languages. I probably have learned, throughout my life, up to 10 different languages (Chinese, Latin, German, Spanish, and French among them). Of course, I do not speak all of them today. My native is Ukrainian and Russian, and I freely speak English and Dutch. 

My husband just bought me a ukulele. So, once I sort out a bit my workload at Flen Health, I am going to start the ukulele classes. I graduated from a music school when I was a teenager, so I know musical grammar, just never played the ukulele in my life.

How did your journey at Flen Health start?

When I moved to Belgium, I started looking for opportunities in business. The company that I eventually joined was a medical device manufacturer. I loved working there, and I immediately felt connected to the industry. Approximately at the same time, new medical device regulations were adopted in Europe – a lot of new information and requirements which everyone had to learn. And I had to learn anyway (as I moved from Ukraine to Belgium) so that was a match, as well. 

A few years later, I received an offer from another company. It was a different industry, but the role was too interesting to turn down the offer. I changed and I enjoyed that work too, yet I had this feeling that I wanted to go back. Then, somebody contacted me for Flen Health – a company active in the medical device industry.

In the beginning, I did not know Flen Health, I must admit. So, I had to do some research. I read about its products, the story from the CEO – it is a very nice story! Of course, the role content was appealing, and also the fact that I would be leading a department, that I would be given quite some freedom, but also quite a lot of responsibility. I accepted the offer, and I am very happy about it. 

So, that is how I started at Flen Health about 10 months ago now.

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

Meticulous.

I am very attentive to details. Sometimes it is good, but sometimes it is not. I think that my profession has made me meticulous; at least partially I attribute it to the profession. Law professors would always say that the devil is in the details. They would also always require that we read a law, a document, or a contract from the 1st letter until the last full stop; especially, what is written in small letters. At least in my experience, the idiom has proven to be right on many occasions. 

What drives your motivation?

I would say it's curiosity and change.

Generally, I am very curious. I have always been asking questions. As the years go by, I have noticed that I even start becoming curious about things that previously were of no interest to me, such as finance. 

For the change, I would probably need to explain a bit more. My husband had a great impact on me as my concerns change. He has a background in continuous improvement. At home, we are talking a lot about added value and waste (waste of resources, energy, …). In a world where we have to perform so many tasks daily (much more than, for example, our parents did 40 years ago), at some point in time, you need to start filtering what you are doing or how you are doing it. Quite often I see that you can improve your work, and even your personal life, by either not doing things that you are used to doing, but do not bring any added value or very little added value, or by changing things or doing them more effectively. That is what I mean when I say that change drives my motivation.
 

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

I am fairly young to Flen Health, not yet even ten months here. I think my proudest moment is yet to come. At the same time, at Flen Health, I have met many brilliant and bright people with whom I have been able to establish a good working and open relationship. I have a feeling that people do not hesitate to reach out to me, which was my vision for the legal department. Today, this is the achievement that I am proud of.

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

Yes, absolutely. For me, impact does not have to change the lives of millions. If I was able to change for the better the life of one person, that is already an achievement. If I was able to help one person, that is already an achievement. These days I am also trying to find a good balance between my busy work, my life, and my young child, and also help Ukrainians who come to Belgium, at least, by providing them with information about life here or things they need. 

If we are talking about the impact at the company level, I see the role of the legal department in supporting business, enabling the business to work in a compliant way, but also in an effective manner. Sometimes, this requires out-of-the-box solutions, new tools, as well as instructing colleagues. I hope my department provides that, at least I am working in that direction. 

In the past 20 years, Flamigel^® went from zero to hero and today is a market-leading skin healing product in countries like Belgium. From the legal perspective, what are some challenges that we could potentially deal with as we prepare to enter new markets? 

When entering a new market, if we speak about legal challenges, the legal challenge is always the same – you do not know the local laws and practices, what is allowed, and what is not. It can become quite a challenge because you might have to live with some level of uncertainty for a while, experience delays, or even make mistakes. If we are talking for example the United States, this is also a completely different legal system. And this is true for any product, not only Flamigel® but also Flaminal® and any other product of Flen Health that we want to introduce in a new market. We will have to learn a lot as we go, and we will have to consult local advisors of course.

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

My first advice to young people is: do not be afraid. Today, I am telling my success story, but I have also been a graduate once. I also came to my first employer knowing nothing. I knew some theories that were taught at the university, but that is where it stops quite often. Dare to win! 

The second piece of advice, perhaps a more philosophical one is to question yourself. Everyone, I believe, is sometimes wrong, including ourselves. And there is nothing bad in being wrong. There is nothing bad in changing your opinion because sometimes you may just come across new information. I do believe that questioning yourself is the right thing to do. It allows us to grow and learn. The more we learn, the more we know. Do not be afraid to question yourself.

Any last comments?

I am very happy to be part of Flen Health, and I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of this team. I am also very grateful to the people who contacted me for my current role, for they found me. It was my lucky day. I hope that every Flenner and everyone who is still to join Flen Health feels the same.

Thank you, Anna!

Nu is het jouw beurt om je eigen succesverhaal te schrijven bij Flen Health!

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!

Nu is het jouw beurt om je eigen succesverhaal te schrijven bij Flen Health!

Kristine startte 18 jaar geleden bij Flen Health en meldt “key for growth is the will to proceed by taking initiatives”. Laten we eens kijken naar haar motivatie:

Kun je jezelf in één zin omschrijven?

Een hands-on persoon met een voorliefde voor communicatie, messaging, visualisatie en organisatie. Ik ben best integer en werk graag in teamverband.

Hoe heb je de weg naar Flen gevonden?

Dat is intussen meer dan 18 jaar geleden (de tijd vliegt) wat we net vierden op kantoor. Na enkele eerste werkervaringen, vooral in de media, kwam ik bij Flen terecht waar ik deze vaardigheden in de dagelijkse praktijk kon toepassen. De innovatieve wondzorgproducten spraken me aan, alsook het deel uitmaken van een bedrijf in volle groei dankzij de ondernemingszin van de stichter.

Wat maakt dat je van je baan houdt?

Het is boeiend een merk groot te maken en dankzij de goede producten is dit erg dankbaar werk om te doen. Ook de afwisseling en het voortdurend in contact staan met consumenten, zorgverleners (HCP's) en collega's zijn troeven. Wat mij enorm motiveert, is de positieve feedback van dankbare patiënten.

Is impact maken met je werk belangrijk voor je?

Ja, dit is niet alleen mijn drijfveer, maar die van iedereen bij Flen. Ik ben er trots op mensen te helpen en informeren in het genezen van hun huid en wonden. “Helping people live the life they love” is niet alleen een motto, het is wat ik dagelijks in mijn job toepas.

In de afgelopen 20 jaar evolueerde Flamigel^® van zero to hero en geldt vandaag als marktleider in België op het gebied van huidgenezing. Wat was uw aandeel daarin?

Het is leuk om vanaf het begin deel uit te maken van dit verhaal. Aanvankelijk speelde ik een meer algemene rol in het bedrijf, maar uiteindelijk settelde ik me op de marketingafdeling. Hier ontwikkelde ik o.a. het Flamigel^® marketingmateriaal voor HCP's en eindgebruikers (OTC/DTC) en focuste ik me op trade marketing. 18 jaar geleden was ik de enige persoon in marketing, vandaag zijn we een sterk team van 10 collega’s. Het omzetten van de productvoordelen en het werkingsmechanisme in een duidelijke boodschap helpt het bereiken van onze missie: mensen helpen het leven te leiden waarvan ze houden!

Wat was je persoonlijk grootste succes in de afgelopen 18 jaar bij Flen?

Alle successen zijn gedeelde successen en beschouw ik niet als een persoonlijke prestatie maar als uitstekend teamwerk. Het was fantastisch om te zien hoe Flen eerst een zeer belangrijke leidende speler werd in de huid- en wondverzorgingsmarkt in België en intussen evolueerde van een lokale naar een internationale speler met een wereldwijde distributie in 30 landen. Deel uitmaken en een actieve rol spelen in dit verhaal is mijn grootste succes.

Last but not least, nog iets dat je met ons zou kunnen delen?

Persistence is key :-) en de sleutel voor groei is de wil om verder te gaan door initiatieven te nemen: "Wacht niet op het perfecte moment, neem het moment en maak het perfect!" 

Dank je, Kristine, voor het delen van je ervaring met ons.

Nu is het jouw beurt om je eigen succesverhaal te schrijven bij Flen Health!

Op zoek gaan naar carrièremogelijkheden tijdens een pandemie kan een uitdaging zijn voor jonge talenten. Cédric greep zijn kans toen deze zich voordeed!

Vertel ons eens wat meer over jezelf en hoe je bij Flen Health terecht bent gekomen?

Ik ben Cédric Van Speybroeck, 23 jaar en woon in Lievegem, België. Een paar maanden geleden was ik nog student handelswetenschappen aan de Universiteit Gent. In het kader van mijn masteropleiding kreeg ik de kans om een stage af te leggen. Dit begon met een spannend idee om naar New York te gaan vanwege een eerdere schoolopdracht in New York. Dit idee bleef echter een idee omdat de pandemie heel wat beperkingen oplegde naar reizen toe. Daarom was het niet gemakkelijk voor mij of voor andere studenten om interessante mogelijkheden te vinden. Gelukkig belandde ik in de zomer van 2020 aan de telefoon met Hoai-Anh, de Digital Marketing Manager bij Flen Health. Ze was zeer gepassioneerd over de geplande digital marketingactiviteiten en ik was meteen verkocht en dat ben ik nog steeds!

Hoe was het om aan een stage te beginnen terwijl er een pandemie aan de gang was?

Gelukkig kon ik, door minder beperkende COVID-regels, tijdens mijn eerste twee weken kennis maken met het marketingteam. Nu weet ik tenminste wie er aan de andere kant van een teams gesprek met me praat. Daarna ben ik overgeschakeld op werken van thuis uit, wat een uitdaging was. Gelukkig had ik geweldige hulp wanneer dit nodig was. Volledig digitaal gaan werken is niet gemakkelijk, maar het is wel de realiteit waarin we leven. We moeten ons altijd aanpassen en er het beste van maken. Daarom deed ik mijn uiterste best om nog steeds waarde te leveren voor Flen Health en ervoor te zorgen dat mijn schoolopdrachten zo goed mogelijk waren. Ik heb bijvoorbeeld enkele dagen/weken tot in de late uurtjes doorgewerkt aan een presentatie over mijn stage en die meermaals geoefend tot die perfect was. Dit resulteerde in zeer positieve feedback van de universiteit en een e-mail waarin werd gesproken over een opportuniteit bij Flen Health na mijn stage. Die kans heb ik dan later genomen!

Was het moeilijk voor je om over te schakelen van je master Commercieel Beleid naar je nieuwe stageplaats in Digital Marketing?

Qua activiteiten is het niet zo verschillend. Tijdens mijn master heb ik meerdere groepsopdrachten en praktijkgerichte informatie gekregen. Ik was dus vrij goed voorbereid, maar toch is het een grote verandering. De bedrijfsmentaliteit, vaste werkuren, bedrijfsetiquette, interne communicatie, ... Het zijn allemaal dingen waar ik mee heb moeten leren omgaan. Want als student is de manier waarop je werkt heel wat anders.

Dus je hebt er geen spijt van dat je een duik hebt genomen in de digitale marketingwereld?

Helemaal niet. Ik heb mijn horizon kunnen verbreden en deze technologie-gedreven kant van marketing van dichtbij kunnen ervaren. Naarmate meer en meer digitale toepassingen hun weg vinden in ons leven, wat vooral tijdens deze pandemie versneld werd, is het moeilijk om digital marketing weg te denken. Daarom denk ik dat het zowel voor bedrijven als voor mezelf waardevol is om dit vakgebied te leren, te begrijpen en het maximale eruit te halen.

Wat gebeurde er na je stage bij Flen Health?

Ik heb mijn stage afgerond op 18 december. Daarna heb ik me volledig gefocust op mijn masterthesis. Naarmate de deadline dichterbij kwam, moest ik zowel mijn onderzoek naar “sales enablement”, als mijn resultaten van een “lead generation” paper afronden. Ze waren beide goed verlopen, dus begon ik met de voorbereidingen voor de verdediging van mijn masterthesis. Ik verdedigde deze op 29 januari en startte mijn verhaal bij Flen Health als Digital Marketing Assistant slechts drie dagen later.

Wat was je meest trotse moment als Flenner tot nu toe?

Dat zijn er nogal wat. Het eerste moment, dat ik me herinner, was tijdens mijn 2de week bij Flen Health. Ik kreeg meteen de kans om een agentschap te briefen over een toekomstige campagne. Ik apprecieerde de verantwoordelijkheid die ik kreeg enorm en deed mijn uiterste best om iets zinvols te presenteren. Met duidelijke feedback kon ik dit tot een goed einde brengen. Tijdens mijn volledige loopbaan bij Flen Health, heb ik me trots gevoeld voor zoveel dingen, het zijn de kleine overwinningen op een dagelijkse/ wekelijkse basis die geweldig zijn om te ervaren. Om hier deel van uit te maken en mezelf een Flenner te mogen noemen, is ook al iets om trots op te zijn!

Is er stof tot nadenken die je kunt meegeven aan jonge talenten die afstuderen in een tijd, die gekenmerkt wordt door een aanhoudende pandemie?

Om er het beste van te blijven maken. Het is zeker niet makkelijk voor jonge mensen zoals ik om gemotiveerd te blijven door dit alles. Ik vind het persoonlijk moeilijk om te gaan met deze levens veranderende momenten die plots niet meer zo speciaal aanvoelen. Ik herinner me dat ik mijn diploma in een e-mail ontving, wat voelde als het ontvangen van een WhatsApp-berichtje met een "lol" op het eind. Niets verandert, geen festiviteiten, geen echt "hoera"-moment. Maar dit mag ons, jonge afgestudeerden, niet tegenhouden. “The grind is on” en ook deze momenten zullen we later kunnen vieren. Voor nu, blijf streven voor de beste versie van jezelf. Alleen zo haal je het meeste uit de kansen die je krijgt en zul je er later geen spijt van krijgen. Zorg ervoor dat je iets hebt om te vieren!

Nu is het jouw beurt om je eigen succesverhaal te schrijven bij Flen Health!

Tuesday maakt sinds kort deel uit van het team. Met plezier vertelt ze hoe de onboarding bij Flen Health eraan toeging.

Hallo Tuesday. Stel je jezelf even voor?

Tuurlijk. Ik heet Tuesday Lowndes en binnenkort word ik 29. Oorspronkelijk kom ik uit Engeland, maar bijna drie jaar geleden verkaste ik naar Luxemburg. Hiervoor heb ik in de farmaceutische sector gewerkt, als microbioloog in “quality assurance”, maar Flen heeft me aangenomen als een R&D specialist assistent in R&D. Ik spring in voor een van de specialist onderzoekers in het Luxemburgse lab, die momenteel met zwangerschapsverlof is.

Wanneer begon je onboarding?

Zowat tijdens mijn eerste week bij Flen, zou ik zeggen. Daarvoor had ik al even gesproken met mijn aanwervende manager en de hr-verantwoordelijke. Die namen de sollicitatiegesprekken af en beschreven kort wat mijn job inhoudt. Maar het grootste deel van de onboarding vond plaats tijdens de eerste twee weken. Het was vrij intensief, met veel diepgaande presentaties door het hoofd van zowat elke afdeling bij Flen. De presentaties waren erg interessant en ik kwam hierdoor meer te weten over elk aspect van Flen: van de producten over de kwaliteitscontrole tot de marketing in verschillende landen. Iedereen was supervriendelijk en gaf met plezier extra uitleg en antwoord op mijn vragen, zowel tijdens de presentaties als erna. Echt een unieke ervaring: nooit eerder werkte ik bij een bedrijf waar iedereen zo gemakkelijk aanspreekbaar is en bereid is om met je te praten. Heel aangenaam én geweldig nuttig. 

Het doet ons plezier dat je start bij Flen zo positief verlopen is. Blijkbaar kreeg je een hoop informatie te verwerken tijdens je eerste weken. Hopelijk niet te veel informatie?

Nee hoor, de opleidingen waren allemaal erg interactief en duurden niet te lang. Zo was er tijd om vragen te stellen en alle informatie in me op te nemen. Bovendien had ik zelf al wat onderzoek gedaan voor ik bij Flen begon. Zo was ik beter voorbereid op sommige presentaties.

Een onderzoeker in hart en nieren! Hoe verliep het eerste contact met je directe collega's op kantoor?

Echt aangenaam. Een leuke anekdote van mijn eerste dag: de collega die me zou opleiden, was haar badge thuis vergeten. Een beetje komisch, en zo was het ijs meteen gebroken. Bovendien maakte ik daardoor ook meteen kennis met enkele collega's in het kantoor boven en kreeg ik eerst een rondleiding door de gemeenschappelijke ruimtes. Zo ontdekte ik dat iedereen meestal samen probeert te lunchen (op voldoende afstand van elkaar, uiteraard) en dat vind ik erg leuk. Terug in het lab kreeg ik mijn eigen werkplek en passeerde alle apparatuur de revue. Er zijn echt coole toestellen bij, sommigen had ik zelfs nog nooit in het echt gezien. Zoals gewoonlijk, was iedereen erg vriendelijk en moedigden ze me aan om vragen te stellen. De sfeer was echt heel gastvrij en motiverend.

Toen je bij Flen begon, golden er nog coronabeperkingen. Voelde je je daardoor soms “in de steek gelaten”?

Helemaal niet. Integendeel – het maakte alles makkelijker: ik leerde mijn collega’s zo langzaam in de loop van tijd kennen, wat het makkelijker maakte om hun namen, gezichten, functies enz. te onthouden. Ook kreeg ik zo per R&D-project een specifieke opleiding en uitleg, en hoefde ik niet alles tegelijk proberen te verwerken.

Vond je de onboarding geslaagd?

Ik denk van wel, ja. Die eerste paar weken waren ideaal om alles en iedereen te leren kennen: de groepen, de managers, de verkoop, de producten, de hele mikmak. Tijdens die periode en daarna heb ik in het lab nauw samengewerkt met mijn teamleden. Ze vertelden me wat hun projecten inhouden en alle andere praktische zaken die ik moest weten. Zo kan ik hen bijstaan en vooruithelpen. Ik ben nog geen expert in alle projecten, maar ik ben al echt geïnvesteerd in 2 projecten waarin ik geïnteresseerd ben en die ik met al mijn tijd en kennis ondersteun.. Ik ben zeer gemotiveerd om te blijven bijleren en om in de toekomst nauwer betrokken te zijn bij andere projecten en onderzoeken.

Heb je nog suggesties? Heb je tijdens de onboarding iets gemist of kunnen we nieuwe Flenners nog beter opvangen en inwerken?

Ik heb niet het gevoel dat de opleiding ergens in tekortschiet. Scott, de VP International Sales, vertelde me wel dat de Flen Academy hopelijk binnenkort de 'deuren' opent. Het gaat om een onlineplatform dat toegankelijk zal zijn voor alle Flenners en dat de onboarding nog gemakkelijker en interactiever zal maken, denk ik. Het wordt een grote troef, en niet alleen voor nieuwe werknemers. Want ook huidige collega's willen vast meer te weten komen over andere sectoren en andere afdelingen bij Flen. Ik ben ook heel dankbaar voor de leuke Flamigel EHBO-tas die ik heb gekregen. Daarin zaten staaltjes van alle producten van Flen Health, net als toffe kleine gadgets. Echt een lief en gastvrij gebaar.

Het was een plezier om je te horen praten over je eerste ervaring als een Flenner. Bedankt, Tuesday.

Nu is het jouw beurt om je eigen succesverhaal te schrijven bij Flen Health!