At Branding Science, we believe that our greatest strength lies in the remarkable individuals who make up our team. They are the heart and soul of our company, driving innovation, shaping our culture, and helping us to achieve our mission.
In our team spotlights, we take you behind the scenes to meet a few of the many talented and dedicated professionals who make up our team.
For this team spotlight, we chatted to our Global Compliance Officer, Moniola Olusanjo, all about her role at Branding Science, including her proudest achievements, thoughts on the industry and some of the highlights of the job. Read our full interview below.
Hi Moniola, can you tell us a bit about your role at Branding Science and what you do on a day-to-day basis?
My role as the Global Compliance Officer (GCO) for the Branding Science Group means working with everyone within the company irrespective of location. My day varies wildly from onboarding new joiners, reviewing project documentation, reading through client contracts, contracting new suppliers, answering client questionnaires, guiding about GDPR, attending internal and external meetings, responding and chairing audits, troubleshooting any compliance and data protection issues as well as participating in other internal projects.
I enjoy meeting with project teams to talk through compliance and acting as a consultant in guiding clients, especially when I get a random email asking to book time to answer questions on compliance or GDPR. I also currently sit on the BHBIA Ethics and Compliance Committee as the Secretary as well as being a member of the EphMRA Compliance Network.
How long have you been with the company, and what has your journey been like so far?
I joined the Company on the day of COVID lockdown in the UK, so over three years ago. It’s been an exciting journey so far and long may it continue. Since joining the company, my team has grown to include three compliance executives who have been trained with no previous compliance experience but are now excellent compliance professionals. It is fantastic to work within a company that sees compliance as important and is willing to invest to ensure that we are compliant.
What would you say makes Branding Science unique in its industry?
I would say the people. We have some truly wonderful and very clever people working at Branding Science – I know everyone will say this, but it’s true!
Can you share a specific project or achievement that you are particularly proud of during your time here?
During my time here there’s quite a lot I feel proud to have been part of, but my most recent achievement would be completing and getting my Certified Information Privacy Professional/ Europe (CIPP/E) qualification.
What do you appreciate most about your colleagues and the people you work with?
I like the camaraderie and how each person tries to live the company values – the ability to go the extra mile to make other people’s day easier. If I must highlight anyone, I’d definitely highlight my team; they are awesome! Our internal process requires that every project documentation goes through compliance prior to being shared with clients for approval, and my team are always on top of this, working to get it back to the project team as quickly as possible to ensure that projects are running on time and compliant.
Can you share any insights into how Branding Science encourages employee well-being?
At Branding Science, we strongly believe and encourage a good work-life balance, and to ensure this we have a lot of activities organised by our active SoCom and the CSR team. We also have a whole range of initiatives to ensure our staff well-being is a top priority, such as discounted gym membership, monthly meditation sessions and health checks with medical professionals who come into our office.
What’s your favourite way to unwind or recharge outside of work?
Unwinding outside of work for me is generally standing on the side of a pitch somewhere watching my kids participating in some type of sport, like football, netball, and athletics.
And finally, what advice would you give to someone considering a career at Branding Science or in the pharmaceutical research field?
Definitely go for it! The Branding Science family is full of lots of amazing people who will willingly give up their time to guide and ensure that all is well. We have someone dedicated to ensuring each person has the right training they require to develop, which means putting a lot of value in ensuring company and project team development as well as personal growth.
As life resumes back to pre-COVID times and research moves back to face to face, there are exciting opportunities to travel for pharmaceutical research, meeting clients and seeing various parts of the world. In my role as the GCO, I don’t get to attend central locations for interviews, but attending face to face conferences, webinars, representing the company at industry related meetings and visiting our global offices is part of the perks of the job, especially visiting places like Japan and the Philippines and meeting the people from those offices.