Alison West

"My personality type came out as a mixture of Coach, Influencer and Innovator which I think is quite an accurate analysis of me (see descriptors below). These characteristics are also important to be able to perform my job effectively.I enjoy working in a management role and many of the characteristics of a 'coach' and 'influencer' are important when managing people. To lead a team it is important to be a 'people person' and to be able to work with a diverse range of individuals. I strongly believe that you should treat people how you would want to be treated yourself. You need to be a good listener, treat everyone with respect and act in an honest and trustworthy manner. As a manager you also need to be able to have open and honest communication with people whether it's to praise someone for a job well done or whether it's to give someone negative feedback. The characteristics of an 'influencer' are also important in a management role. You need to engage the team and motivate them to meet the business objectives. I believe it is important to lead by example and be enthusiastic and motivated yourself. Good leadership skills are essential. It is also important to be able to 'think outside the box' because solving problems and continuous improvement are part of my daily life.I work in a management role within a Research and Development group so I was pleased my personality type included 'Innovator'! In new product development it is important to understand what the customer requirements are and to then translate these requirements into new and innovative design for new products. It is essential to be open-minded and creative and technical problem solving is a key part of the development process. A characteristic of being an innovator is 'taking charge' which I think a lot of people I work with would agree that I do!Coach: Understanding and CreativeUnderstands what people want and how to get them what they needGood at working with a wide range of peopleTakes pride in exceeding expectationsGood listenerCompassionateTrustworthy & HonestProblem solverFriendlyInfluencer:DiplomaticGood at explaining so that people understandGood with detailCan work on their own or in a teamGood at finding and reviewing informationCan think outside the boxThorough and reliablePoliteHas leadership qualitiesInnovator:ConfidentUnderstands what people want and needCreative & has lots of ideasOpen mindedCan solve problems creatively – can think of new ways to find solutionsStrong-willedInfluencerGood with moneyGood at leading people and taking charge"

"My group designs and develops equipment and materials used by pharmaceutical manufacturers to make life-changing drugs and treatments. It's incredibly rewarding to work in a high-tech industry and to know that products that we've designed are being used to produce vaccines and drug products (like cancer treatments) that have such on important impact on human healthcare. This year it has been particularly rewarding to see that products we recently launched are being used to produce potential coronavirus vaccines. I currently manage a team of about 40 people who are based in the USA and UK. Most of the team have either an engineering or scientific background. We're involved with new product development right from the very beginning of the process when initial marketing research is performed through to generation of ideas, designing and prototyping initial concepts through to final design, manufacture and product launch. My team perform a lot of the performance and scientific testing on the products that we develop and there are opportunities for the team to develop patents, write scientific papers, present at conferences and become real subject matter experts in the technologies that we develop.The technical challenges, the variety of projects and the great people I work with provide me with enormous job satisfaction. "

"I have worked for the same company for 30 years which seems incredible to me. During my time at Pall I have worked in many roles across different departments. I have held a number of positions in technical customer support roles, I worked for a few years in Marketing and have held various positions within R&D and new product development. Having worked in multiple roles it has given me a broad understanding of the company and I have developed a wide network of close relationships with colleagues across the business.My dad has been a big inspiration to me. He always said 'say yes to opportunity' and I think that I have followed his advice pretty well. Whenever new job opportunities have come up in my career I have always welcomed them (even though I might have been quite nervous about them at the time!). By having lots of different roles I have always been learning new things and I have never been bored! One of the most important things that I have learnt is that, in order to succeed, it's not just about having a good academic or technical background. It's just as important to have the right attitude. A positive attitude and a willingness to help others and take on new challenges is really important for success. It's amazing how far basic common sense can get you in the workplace! "

"I'm married and have one daughter who is currently at university. In my spare time I love meeting up with family and friends and having a laugh, although it's mainly virtual get-togethers these days. I like getting outdoors whether it's to the local woods or beach. I also really enjoy crafty things and I've recently made an enormous patchwork quilt with my daughter, it's for her new room at university"

"I am based in the UK and half of my team is based in the US. Under normal (pre-covid) conditions I would spend quite a bit of time travelling between the two groups. There could also be travel to customers, business partners, suppliers or conferences or business. A lot of my team work in labs or workshops and I always enjoy any opportunity to go any see what is happening in person.With the current covid travel restrictions I am currently spending a lot of my time on Teams video calls. This might sound boring but every one is quite different and I interact with a lot of people. We discuss business strategy where we discuss what projects are important and what we need to deliver and when, and we have project meetings where technical progress and issues are reviewed and discussed. There are also meetings and calls to perform design reviews, address technical problems and meetings to present progress to senior management. As a manager of a fairly large team I also have regular calls with my direct reports. We have regular reviews to assess progress of the team and we set and review performance goals. I also spend quite a lot of time on recruiting new people which I enjoy. I am lucky to work in an organisation which is growing. We recruited 14 new people in my team within the last 12 months."

"Degree - Biology BSc, Cardiff, University of WalesPhD - Cardiff, University of Wales"