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• Craig

Meet our people

University: Oxford
Degree type: BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics

How long have you been at GSK?
I joined the three-year rotational graduate scheme in September 2005.

What made you apply to GSK?
What really swung it for me at the time was the impact the company makes on the planet.  It may be a complex story, but at the end of the day the benefits generated by the medicine that GSK develop and produce is immense. This factor is what made me choose GSK over the alternatives.

What made you apply to the Finance Development Programme?
I’d never studied accounting, but I’d always been interested in Finance from a broader perspective and I had been Treasurer of my college JCR.  GSK’s scheme offered to develop a good understanding of finance supported by a world class qualification (CIMA), which seemed like a good basis for a career.

The scheme was also attractive because of the rotations. Spending each year in a completely different part of the company allows me to develop good business awareness and gain of broad finance skills.  Few companies are large and complex enough to offer the diverse range of experience that you can get at GSK.

What was your first role?
was the responsible for accounting for and generating reports for two divisions within Preclinical Development (early stage research).  As with most first year roles, I was exposed to all of the core elements of accounting, such as budgets, forecasts, accruals and management reporting. R&D gave me a really solid understanding of the fundamentals – a foundation that ensures I have credibility as a financial professional going forward.

What have been your subsequent roles?
My second role has been in Corporate Treasury, a department which amongst many other things manages the £billions of cash and debt of the company.  Completely different from my first year, Treasury has given me insights into all sorts of strategic issues. Outside the scheme, I’d never have had the opportunity to gain exposure to these sorts of issues without committing myself to a far more specific career path. My final role will be in ‘Pharma Europe’, a team who does a lot of the reporting and consolidation of figures regarding our sales of medicine throughout Europe.  Once again, it’ll be another complete change from what I’ve done before.

What kind of support do you get?
We get around 28 days off to study and take our CIMA exams each year over and above our 26 days of regular leave. All study costs are fully funded. The rotational placements also ensure that we get the crucial breadth of experience needed to qualify in the minimum time-frame (three years).

What is the company culture like for you?
It varies! A great aspect of the scheme is exposure to lots of different company cultures.  It’s fascinating (and a great learning experience) to see different finance functions adopt cultures which tend to mirror the businesses which they support, whether that’s research, corporate, sales or manufacturing.

The grads themselves generate their own sub-culture, which is really friendly and supportive. The last three sets of CIMA exams have all been followed by a holiday to Europe which we’ve organised among ourselves.  Next stop in November:  Greece!

What is your work/life balance like?
The work-life balance is one you won't get at the Big Four, and certainly not at a bank or management consultancy.  Though there are busy times when you’ll be expected to work late, outside of these 40 hours a week is genuinely the norm for people in many departments. 

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