The Big Move – from Germany to the little red dot Singapore

As part of our service towards global clients as well as a benefit to our employees, Real Life Sciences, offers global mobility opportunities to our employees to allow them a move across any of our global offices. Alexandra Scattergood-Johnsen who was previously from our Frankfurt office has recently joined the Singapore team through our global mobility programme.

A short introduction to Alexandra 

Alex (as her friends would call her) was born and raised in Luxembourg and is mixed German-Norwegian. She always had a keen interest for sales and people-oriented business. And this was accompanied with her passion to work with companies that could change lives.

Progressing from a rookie, all the way to a Principle Consultant, she spent several years conducting business development within the medical devices market. With an amazing track-record and also an Account Manager for one of Germany’s biggest clients in the life science sector, she had always built a strong relationship with companies she worked with, for both the contract and permanent business.

But why the move? It is after all an almost 13-hour flight across the globe. 

Alex’s story

Why did you choose to move to Singapore? 

“My husband and I both have international backgrounds and always agreed that we would like to work somewhere apart from Europe. About three years ago, we came to Singapore for a holiday and really enjoyed our time here. We felt so comfortable and actually saw a potential in living here. At the end of 2018, my husband received an opportunity at his company to move to Singapore and after much consideration; we decided to take it up. One of the amazing aspects of working at Real Life Sciences and SThree is the multiple offices worldwide. I only needed to start that conversation of the possibilities in moving internally and the whole process went by really quickly.”

Why did you move with Real Life Sciences?

“I really enjoy my job and the industry that I get to work with. As cliché as it sounds, the medical devices industry inspires me every day and I find the innovation within the sector fascinating. As such, I didn’t really consider a move outside of Real. In fact, I really wanted to stay within the same company and gain the experience in Singapore. I am really appreciative that I get to continue my journey within the sector, but in a different country.”

What are some of the opportunities that you foresee?

“There are some similarities that Germany has with Singapore that can be an advantage to me. Firstly, many of the companies that I worked with in Germany have a regional presence here in Singapore. By applying my market insights and knowledge of their business set up and structure, it is definitely easier to build on relationships.”

“Additionally, candidate referencing comes easily as the background needed from applicants is very similar to that of Germany’s. I can also use the skills I’ve acquired as a client relationship manager. Having worked with a variety of clients as well as consultants internally, I believe I can truly add value to our Singapore office and contribute to the success of the team.”

What do you hope to achieve here in Singapore?

“I hope to achieve my promotion to Sales Team Manager whilst growing the medical devices market in Singapore. I want to be able to teach, guide and develop a team. Additionally, I hope to become one of the top 5 performers in the Singapore team within the year of 2019 – even though I had to start my career in Singapore at a slightly later stage compared to my peers.”

“On a personal note, I also hope to use this opportunity that Singapore is close to many different islands to visit a lot of surrounding areas in my first year here. My upcoming trips to Langkawi and Phuket have already been booked!”

Opportunities within the medical devices market in Asia Pacific (APAC)

Singapore is a strong regional hub for many medical device companies and an attractive location for start-ups. There are many opportunities that we can maximise and use to our advantage – from the sharing of job opportunities to the sourcing of niche talents from all around the region.

Alex shares her insights on the outlook for the market in APAC, “The medical devices market is currently very strong with a constant need to further venture into the digital realm. There will always be the need for medical supplies. Hospitals need their operation rooms to be fully integrated and doctors would only want to attend to as many patients as they could in the same amount of time. Therefore, digitalisation and processing of information needs to be more efficient than ever for all parties to analyse and utilise.”

She also shared some of her top tips for both clients, candidates and industry specialists in the market, “Companies should always see an interview process as a two-way route. Applicants in the medical devices market are very sought after and as such have plenty of options. Companies will need to see the interview of the applicant as an interview of their company as well. Additionally, the industry is very small – a lot of people know each other within the sector, so word-of-mouth is a very strong tool. Thus, organisations, just as applicants, need to always present themselves in the best possible way.”

“For applicants, my tip to you: Get an in-depth understanding of the companies prior to your interview. You should always understand the company’s mission and vision to see how it fits with your personal goal. Can you identify with the company? These companies change lives of people and have an impact on everyone’s everyday life, therefore the passion behind what one does has a real influence on the work and the success of these companies.”

Are you looking for professionals within the medical devices market? Or are you an applicant looking for a suitable company to join? Connect with Alex now or drop her an email at [email protected]. If you are interested to read about other industry-related insights, visit our website at www.apac.realstaffing.com.

Real Life Sciences is part of the larger SThree group