Chicago Director Of Strategic Accounts Credits Education For Her Success
Heidi Hoppe works out of her home office as a director of strategic accounts within the business development department at Clinipace Worldwide a dCRO (digital CRO).
Hoppe attended Elgin Community College where she earned her Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing and continued her education at National Louis University (NLU) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Leadership degree; she is also a licensed registered nurse.
Hoppe started working in the pharmaceutical industry while she was earning her bachelor's degree at NLU. When she first started working in the pharmaceutical industry, Hoppe worked in a variety of roles in project management, managing clinical drug trials at companies that develop, produce and market newly approved drugs. In this industry, companies like this are referred as "sponsor" companies. Heidi worked for a couple of sponsors before transitioning her career to working within a clinical research organization (CRO), which supports the work of pharmaceutical and medical device companies (sponsors). Heidi has spent over 16 years in the pharmaceutical industry overall with 14 of those years in project management, starting from individual contributor up to a director.
What are the responsibilities of your current role?
"As a director of strategic accounts, I assist with the management of our larger clients. I help provide strategic oversight and work to deliver suitable solutions to their needs. On a day-to-day basis, I spend a lot of time in my home office triaging issues and speaking with clients on their needs and identifying new ways in which we can support them"
What is your favorite part of your daily duties?
"I work with great people and have a large diverse group I work with every day. I have the opportunity to work with team members globally, including Asia, Europe and Latin America in addition to people from all levels of backgrounds and experts in various areas of the medical field. The most exciting part of my job is that my company assists pharmaceutical and medical device companies to bring their potentially lifesaving discoveries to the people that need them as quickly as possible."
Do you feel your education prepared you for your current role?
"Education had a huge impact on my current role, first in most positions within the industry you need a degree to 'get in the door,'
and then you really need a minimum of a bachelor's degree to advance into positions of increasing responsibility and opportunity."
Do you have any advice for people who desire to pursue a similar career?
"I would say, don't be afraid to start at an entry-level position, if you are a dedicated hard worker you will have an opportunity to move to more advanced roles quickly. I would not have been able to achieve what I have without reaching out of my comfort zone many times, it is what allows you to grow."
Michelle Guilbeau is a writer, reviewer, teacher and business owner living in Chicago, Illinois. She also has experience in school administration, literacy coaching and is proud founder of CraftKitsForKids.com and MichelleGuilbeau.com Michelle enjoys sharing her knowledge of Chicago, food, travel, education and parenting issues with her readers. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.
