Phillip Clontz
Program: Online
Graduation: 2019
Current title/organization: Assoc Dir, Global Study Start-Up, Seagen
Q: Why did you choose the NC State Jenkins MBA program for your graduate education?
A: I knew the quality of the education would be outstanding, both through my experiences in the Poole College of Management as an undergraduate and through witnessing and working with NC State MBA graduates in my line of work.
Q: How did your experience in the program contribute to your professional achievements and successes?
A: The Jenkins MBA gave me a greater understanding of my surroundings and the value I could deliver to my existing accounts. I was able to employ a more profound leadership style and implement the use of KPIs on my accounts with confidence.
Q: What advice would you give for prospective and current students who are interested in your industry/profession?
A: Network, network, network. This can be difficult within biopharm and life sciences. Others around you are always willing to speak on their experiences, as it’s likely they had mentors and those who helped guide them to their roles, careers.
Q: What did you enjoy most about your time in the Jenkins MBA program?
A: Wonderful experience led by amazing teaching, career advising and team collaboration in my coursework.
Q: What do you miss most now that you have graduated?
A: The networking with fellow classmates and having an opportunity to learn more, notably about areas I was not previously familiar (supply chain, corp finance).
Q: What advice do you have for prospective Jenkins MBA students?
A: Strongly consider all that NC State MBA has to offer relative to other programs, and the range of curriculum available to you as students. Through the curriculum I enrolled in during my time in the Jenkins MBA, I feel I could handle roles in supply chain, project management, project finance among many others. Also, I’d advise them to reach out to other Jenkins MBAs, who would be more than happy to share their experiences (and who I imagine would share my same thoughts!).
Q: What are your lasting impressions of the Jenkins MBA program?
A: Practical curriculum. The values and principles taken away from this program are ones that I’m confident I’ll apply daily for the rest of my working life.
Q: What do you believe is your most interesting accomplishment since graduation?
A: A notable accomplishment would be driving the revision of a former employer’s services pricing model. We realigned our pricing to ensure to protect our margins, notably where utilizing vendors. This helped to safeguard future revenue growth for our services.
Q: What are your goals and plans for the future?
A: My goals are to move beyond contracts management and utilize my background and learnings from the Jenkins MBA to drive a career in business development within the biopharm and life sciences industry. To-date, I’ve focused on transitioning from being an SME in contracts to a functional manager of contracts teams. I’d like to deliver value beyond contracts management, with a long-term goal of supporting a small CRO or biopharm and life sciences company in a C-Suite support role.