Interview with Irit Paz | Senior Business Development Manager | Takara Bio Europe

As part of our ‘Female Leaders: Inspiring Together’ series, we interviewed Irit Paz – Senior Business Development Manager for Takara Bio Europe – about why she decided to go into a sales role and how she feels flexible hours can help women progress into management and leadership positions.

Thanks for joining us and taking part in this campaign. Please could you tell us a little bit about your current role and the company you work for?

Yes, sure. I work for a company called Takara Bio Europe, which is an affiliate of the Japanese company Takara Bio. We work for several affiliates worldwide: we have one in the US, India and Korea and two in Europe with one based in France and one in Sweden. I head a B2B sales support team of eight people, which includes three business development managers, a channel business manager, a business manager for distributors and their tech support team, which is a new addition this year. The business development areas that we cover are mainly diagnostics and OEM – which are very relevant during Covid-19 – but we also cover stem cells and cell and gene therapy. My role is partly operational but mostly managing people. I am regularly in contact with customers as I believe that listening to customers is the best way to really get an understanding of the market needs and where the market is going.

What inspired you to start your career in this industry?

I was inspired to go into science after studying biology at high school. I did my PhD at Tel Aviv University and then I did a postdoc at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. After that, I wanted to go into business development because I like this interface between science and business. You cannot really do the job without understanding the science, because many of the discussions are very scientific. There is a lot of human interaction with different people in a variety of different positions, whether that’s researchers, quality people, purchasers or CEOs of biotech companies. The interaction between the science and the other aspects of the role are what inspired me and I’m still very, very happy doing this kind of role.

“The interaction between the science and the other aspects of the role are what inspired me and I’m still very, very happy doing this kind of role.”

What barriers have you encountered as a female in the industry and how did you overcome them?

I’ve never seen being a female as a barrier. I have always believed in fighting our way forward and I didn’t see any difference. I have worked with different managers, men and women, and I think it’s always about human relationships and about your commitment to what you do. Of course, there are different challenges for all of us. I could say that one big challenge for me was Covid-19. So, I was very used to working with people. I am a face-to-face person, I enjoy working with colleagues and also seeing customers. I really like to go out and interact with people, go to conferences, see people’s projects, see the trends in the market and really be a part of this world. Being remote all the time was a big, overwhelming step, I guess, in the beginning. We all needed to adapt to a different world. I guess all of us sit at home and we still interact with customers, we still interact with our colleagues, but there is another level of communication needed. It’s just not the same communication. You need to take more care in how you say things, how you communicate and how it is absorbed by the other side. I think this change was the most significant challenge in all my career.

Did you ever suffer from any self-doubt during your career growth?

I think you always have doubts as a human being. I remember when my first child was born, I had a colleague at that time – a professor at the university – who told me I would never be 100% satisfied and that I will always think that I am not over-performing in some aspects of my life, which is really true. You try your best and I think that I did my best. I hope that my kids feel the same but it was a challenge, especially when they were younger. Now, I think it’s much easier, but when they were younger I could really feel the struggle and also that feeling that whilst I’m committed I cannot really overperform family-wise and career-wise at the same time.

You mentioned there about the difficulties of balancing family and work, how do you personally balance the two?

I think that’s a very good question and I think the way one person manages it is not the same as another. We are all different with different personalities, different families and different cultures. I always try to be very much absorbed in the life of my family and my kids when I am with them and I re-start work when they go to bed. I don’t want to sacrifice the time I have with them and I always switch off on weekends. I see my emails on a weekend and it’s difficult not to see them, but I never answer.

“I think it’s about having respect for yourself, for your family and for your colleagues. Your colleagues deserve to have their time respected and have their own lives and it can put pressure on them if you communicate on the weekends.”

I think it’s about having respect for yourself, for your family and for your colleagues. Your colleagues deserve to have their time respected and have their own lives and it can put pressure on them if you communicate on the weekends. I think also for the person themselves it’s just very, very good to take this time off and stay disconnect.

Absolutely and it is great for your team knowing that you value their work-life balance too. Whilst you mentioned before you hadn’t had any particular barriers as a woman, do you think there are any challenges women may face more often?

I would say that family, again, is a real challenge here. I would never say barrier because I don’t think families are barriers, but it is a challenge. I think many women feel the pressure when they have their kids, especially when they are young, and I think companies should be more family-friendly. This could involve, for example, flexible hours. Now we can see that we can all work at home and still perform. I think the model of the Nordic countries is a very good model that we should strive to. Families are a part of our lives, especially for women and we want to do that role and maintain a good family life. I think that the industry should be more open to different ways of working to accommodate that. There are many ways in which the industry can be more family-friendly and this would give the opportunity for women to really grow their careers. I can say very proudly that at Takara we have several female managers and yes, there’s never been an issue. I feel that the company is very open to that.

Do you think we need to be more considerate of the family aspect and offer a bit more flexibility to all individuals just in general?

Yeah, I think so for both men and women. Again, if I’m looking at the Nordic model, I do think that both men and women should take part in looking after the family, but I think that it is really women who see it as a barrier and they feel that they cannot go forward, which is a pity. I think that having a family is part of our lives. We can do it if we all accommodate it together and I believe women can produce quality work whilst having family constraints.

Throughout the interviews, a lot of women have mentioned that having a support network has really helped them to be able to continue with their careers. Is this something you have found?

Yes, I think a network is extremely important. Your network can be your family, your friends or people you pay for housework or child care, but it’s really important to have a network to help you, especially if you need to travel as part of your career.

Is there any advice you have received during your career that you have found particularly useful?

“We shouldn’t try to be super women in the first place. We should be committed and we should be hard working, but we cannot be someone who doesn’t exist in reality.”

I think one piece of good advice that I received was from a technician that worked in the laboratory where I did my masters. After having my first child she said, ‘we can never be super women’. I think this is true and we shouldn’t try to be super women in the first place. We should be committed and we should be hard working, but we cannot be someone who doesn’t exist in reality. So that was a good piece of advice.

Is there one piece of advice that you would give to those women just starting out in their career?

I think just don’t be afraid. Pave your way up and work hard. I think that the world is more and more open for women to step into management positions. I would also say don’t think you cannot do it because everything can be done and the sky’s the limit. Sometimes there will be difficult moments, but there always is in life. You have your ideas and you know where you want to go so just go for it and take it all.

Our ‘Female Leaders: Inspiring Together’ series is running throughout March with the aim of inspiring and supporting women to become future leaders in their respective industries. Follow us on LinkedIn to join the conversation and hear the insightful stories of our featured female leaders.