This time, we’re shining a light on Anqelique van den Broek from PPD!
Who are you, where do you work, and what is your role? What does it involve?
I am Angelique van den Broek, a director of clinical operations resourcing working in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, for the PPD™ clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific. My team and I are responsible for the resourcing of all roles in clinical operations within Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This means we provide the various trials run in our region with sufficient human resources who have the right skill set. We are also responsible for the planning of capacity for these roles, and work with country heads to understand what the capacity is for each role long-term, so we can adjust the hiring strategy accordingly.
In your opinion, what is the biggest added value of you/your company to clinical research in the Netherlands?
The PPD clinical research business has long been known and recognized for the quality of the work we do to support our customers’ clinical research programs. I think we have always been agile and able to address the needs of our customers in clinical research, and we frequently lead innovations in the industry. As part of Thermo Fisher Scientific for the past three years, we provide our customers with an even broader scope of capabilities supporting clinical research.
What are the career perspectives and opportunities for people in your role?
As a director, you can have the opportunity to join the leadership team in different departments, as the role is largely about leadership skills. Within the business, we see many people with long tenure who have moved between departments, bringing their skills and knowledge to those teams. All staff members receive strong support to grow their careers within the company. I myself started 20 years ago as a research assistant and grew my career through the ranks of clinical research associate (CRA), CRA manager, resourcing manager and resourcing director; a nice journey that I am still enjoying a lot.
What is the biggest challenge for you in conducting clinical research in the Netherlands?
More and more, our customers are requesting specific skills, especially for CRAs. As a clinical research partner focused on delighting our customers, we have conversations with customers to understand what is driving their needs and to find solutions that best meet their specific needs.
What are your expectations of ACRON?
I would expect ACRON to continue facilitating connections among the CROs within the Netherlands, as I consider this a most valuable service. Considering we are a rather small country, building these relationships and fostering a healthy clinical research environment together is important. In the end, we not only want to achieve a bright future for the business, but more importantly, serve our customers and the community by getting safe, new medicines to patients and giving hope to people in medical need.
