Meet some of our People

Greg Timmons
President & CEOBack to top

• Favourite Pastimes:
  Golf, Swimming, Running, Reading
  
  
• Likes:
  Healthy competition, good coffee & sunny mornings
  
  
• Dislikes:
  Injury, poor service
  
  
• Tell us about your role at Takeda?
  I have been responsible for establishing both the Bray and Grange Castle manufacturing sites over the past 15 years and have held General Management roles separately on both sites. In April 2011, I was appointed President responsible for both operations.
  My role is to lead Takeda Ireland Ltd as a strategic company in the Takeda group, harnessing the expertise and commitment of our talented people to deliver on our day-to-day, as well as long term strategic plans. This means ensuring that we are fit for purpose as an organisation to compete in the arena of world class pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain. I must also represent Takeda Ireland at group level, showing our abilities and winning business to secure our future as a strategic Takeda company.
  
  
• Describe a typical day
  A typical day will start early and (unfortunately) fly by too quickly, with numerous meetings on a wide range of topics. There is always a mix of both planned and urgent reactionary topics which keeps the pace of the day. I try to make time to visit various work places and talk to our people about matters affecting each department. Twice a week I get to travel between our two operations in Bray and Grange Castle and it gives me time to think. Finally, in the evening, I usually get time to catch up with email and other documentation - and plan for the next day. One thing is consistent - there are many decisions to be made every day - I am fortunate to have good advice from a great team of people.
  
  
• What do you enjoy about your job?
  By far, the most enjoyable part of my job is the chance to meet with people from all over the organisation every day. My office is always open for 'drop-in meetings' and these happen daily. I like to mix a little fun into these meetings wherever possible.
  
  
• What do you like most about working in Takeda
  Takeda is an exciting company to work for, with a dynamic pipeline of products that deliver constant challenges to us. This literally means there is never a dull day. Our team of talent is key to delivering world class pharmaceutical products to world class markets. I think if you ask anyone who works with great products, this is a huge attraction.
  
  
• What is your favourite memory about working in Takeda?
  For me it's hard to pick a favourite. Having seen our sites as green fields in 1995 and 2002 I get an amazing sense of pride when I approach our operations and see the physical presence of what we have achieved in building these facilities that I know are contributing to the health of individuals. I have similar feelings of pride in our team when we complete a new project or meet an impossible launch date. These milestones have real meaning in the medical world and knowing all of the individuals on our teams that have, through their own talent, commitment and teamwork, contributed to achieving these results, I believe it is an immense source of pride for all Takeda people.
  
  

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Patrick Rooney
Maintenance Engineer & Engineering Systems AdministratorBack to top

• Favourite Pastimes:
  Scuba Diving (PADI Instructor), Amateur Photography, Underwater Photography & Keeping fit.
  
  
• Likes:
  The diversity in nature, Adrenalin rushes, The sense of accomplishment when you know you've done a tough job well & getting the window seat on flights'.
  
  
• Dislikes:
  Arrogance, bullying, dishonesty, people who always think they are right & that head cold that just won't go away.
  
  
• Tell us about your role at Takeda?
  I am the Maintenance Engineer for Takeda. The main part of my role is managing the 11 Maintenance Technicians who are spread over both 24/7 & 24/5 shifts. Primarily this involves managing the things which directly impact their lifestyles such as their shift patterns, overtime, holidays, bonuses etc. I also manage their workload at a high level, analyse their performance & how they interact with the Takeda systems, procedures & policies. Things like their training, career progression, performance & some projects. Of course there is also the HR issues to be managed, both the good & the bad. Luckily I have a strong crew.
  Another big part of my role is as the systems administrator for the Computerised Maintenance Managment System (CMMS). The Infor CMMS documents & controls all of the work performed by both the Maintenance & Facilities Technicians. This system also generates our KPIs which allow us to monitor the current state & health of our equipment. This information is used to drive our improvements so that we can stick to our journey towards a best in class business. Some of my smaller duties include looking after all of the lifting & safety devices on site, managing the maintenance service contracts for our summer shutdown on the production equipment & providing support to production & the rest of engineering as needed.
  
  
• Describe a typical day
  Typically my day begins by getting an update on how things went during the night shift or over the weekend. If there are no issues that require immediate attention I will progress on to my planned work for the day, which, depending on the time of year will usually involve progressing with our career progression system, the performance management system, Summer & Christmas shutdown planning & maintaining our CMMS. My role also allows for a lot of pro-active work for developments or improvements to various systems used here in engineering. One such system is our Technician Training system. Historically, training has been done either with vendor led lectures & demos or with "Buddy" style training. I am currently rebuilding the Technician Training system & developing solid plans, structures & materials to achieve an effective Training system based on proven training strategies & utilising in house expertise.
  
  
• What do you enjoy about your job?
  One of the things I enjoy about my role is the sheer diversity of what it is that I do. One moment I could be driving improvements on our KPIs or managing the performance of my Technicians & the next performing first aid on a member of staff who needs it. What I enjoy the most though is being able to apply highly innovative thinking to our work practices in order to streamline them, improve them or bridge a gap on something that was missing. Our journey to Lean & determination to reduce costs has triggered this form of thinking & allowed us to expand the capability of some of our systems, such as the CMMS, far beyond what it was originally intended for.
  
  
• What do you like most about working in Takeda
  What I like most is the encouragement for free thinking & coming up with new ideas for improvements, a lot of effort is put into recognising & rewarding strong performance. Also, you have to appreciate some of the facilities, the canteen in particular is top class.
  
  
• What is your favourite memory about working in Takeda?
  One of my favourite memories of working at Takeda has to be the launch of the Infor CMMS. We had been working on the project for about 18 months in addition to our usual duties and due to extraordinary commitment by the team, we hit our launch date and with very few issues. This was a significant project and an achievement to be proud of.
  
  

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Amanda Lawlor
HR Business PartnerBack to top

• Favourite Pastimes:
  Shopping, Watching Football
  
  
• Likes:
  Good Food, Handbags
  
  
• Dislikes:
  Arrogant people
  
  
• Tell us about your role at Takeda?
  I am a HR Business Partner in Takeda Ireland. I work to support the business in any HR activities from recruitment to performance management to payroll.
  
  
• Describe a typical day
  Typically I try to get to work early, before eight is great to make the most of flexi-time. I usually start the day by catching up on any employee queries from the night shifts. Helping employees with any queries and requests is a part of every day. Most days involve an interaction of some sort with the areas of the business which I support, Quality, Production Applications, and Process Technology. In the evening I like to review my plan for the next day.
  
  
• What do you enjoy about your job?
  I really enjoy getting out into the business and learning about what people at TIL do. There is lots to learn about pharmaceutical manufacturing . There is a wide diversity of nationalities, experiences and skills within TIL so lots of interesting people to work with and learn from.
  
  
• What do you like most about working in Takeda
  The people at TIL are great. There is a culture here that fosters a real teamwork attitude. Everyone is willing to chip in and help out to get the job done. I have had a huge amount of diverse opportunities to develop my skills and knowledge further at TIL, from HR policy writing to management of international secondments.
  
  
• What is your favourite memory about working in Takeda?
  In 2011, I participated in the development of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy at TIL, after months of brainstorming, researching and preparation in December 2011 the CSR committee launched TIL's first ever CSR Strategy. To see months of work come to fruition gave a huge sense of achievement for the whole committee. We all look forward to participating in some really interesting CSR activities in the coming months.
  
  

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Amy Wiktorski
Continuous Improvement ExecutiveBack to top

• Favourite Pastimes:
  Walking on the Seafront, shopping, skiing
  
  
• Likes:
  Good food, light conversation, relaxing after a busy but productive day!
  
  
• Dislikes:
  Pessimism, uncertainty, unpolished shoes!
  
  
• Tell us about your role at Takeda?
  My role is to Support the implementation of the Continuous Improvement Program within the company and to ensure all plans are aligned with the True North Vision for the plant. I also provide the appropriate lean manufacturing training and support to personnel leading or supporting change initiatives across the plant.
  
  
• Describe a typical day
  A typical day starts with our daily planning meeting where the team sets out the tasks for the day ahead and reviews those of the previous day. Any issues can be flagged here and actioned appropriately. After that its 'go-team' where the current focus could take me anywhere from our Production Department to Logistics, HR or QC - my role allows me to interact with many people across all functions which I enjoy. Before I finish I like to revisit the plan I had set out for that day and assess where I am against that plan. This helps keep me motivated as I feel a sense of achievement from my work.
  
  
• What do you enjoy about your job?
  I enjoy that my job exposes me to all of the various people and processes here at Takeda. Continuous Improvement applies to all aspects of the business and is always challenging so I certainly cannot claim that my role ever becomes boring or mundane.
  
  
• What do you like most about working in Takeda
  What I enjoy most is working with so many people that have a 'can-do' attitude to the challenges we face from day to day. Employees throughout Takeda are always forthcoming with constructive ideas on how to improve processes within their areas. I have also been given the opportunity to further my education and personal development whilst working in Takeda which has been extremely beneficial to me.
  
  
• What is your favourite memory about working in Takeda?
  Moving to the Continuous Improvement Department as it has given me the opportunity to build on my knowledge and experience - particularly in the areas of Lean/Six Sigma.
  
  

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Declan Gallagher
Quality Control AnalystBack to top

• Favourite Pastimes:
  Running, Cycling, Reading and Photography
  
  
• Likes:
  Eating good food with friends
  
  
• Dislikes:
  Drivers that don't use their indicators!
  
  
• Tell us about your role at Takeda?
  My role is to ensure that product produced on site is tested to the correct specification. Impurity tests, purity tests and visual inspection are some of the tests performed in Quality control. Basically, our role in quality control, is to ensure that the product shipped to various countries complies with all the regulations of those countries and is of the highest possible standard.
  
  
• Describe a typical day
  A typical day involves, testing the required lots of product, set out by a senior analyst to the required specification. It can be a fast paced environment from time to time, but it's worth it, in the end, when your work is appreciated.
  
  
• What do you enjoy about your job?
  I enjoy working with a motivated group of colleagues, who have one goal and vision in mind, that is to achieve our TIL 2015 targets and become best in class.
  
  
• What do you like most about working in Takeda
  Definitely the people, everybody gets along and are very approachable especially when you have an issue you need help with, which makes life a lot easier. People are very motivated to achieve their targets.
  
  
• What is your favourite memory about working in Takeda?
  My favourite memory would be, when we moved from our old Lab to our new Lab, I remember thinking ,"We have so much space! I don't know what we're going to do with it all". It soon filled up, with new state of the art equipment. The Lab is a place I feel proud to work. TIL is a top class manufacturing facility second to none.
  
  

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Beata Baranska
Packaging Control Executive - TraineeBack to top

• Favourite Pastimes:
  Cooking; working in the garden; meeting friends; reading my Bible.
  
  
• Likes:
  Watching discovery channel; herbs; animals; forests; learning new things.
  
  
• Dislikes:
  Slow computers, thunder, Seafood, bad words, loud music, short winter days, insects, labels glued on fresh fruits.
  
  
• Tell us about your role at Takeda?
  My role is to manage and control the day-to-day operations of the Packaging Control Department, ensuring that the work is completed to the highest standards and within agreed timelines in order to service the needs of various dependent departments within the organisation.
  
  
• Describe a typical day
  No two days are the same. Every morning there is a daily meeting in my department. I can plan all tasks for that day. There is always at least one GMP or non GMP document which needs to be updated. I have to also answer queries from people from different departments and sometimes follow up with vendors regarding deliveries. I have to make sure that all urgent tasks are always done on time. I also help my staff with prioritizing their daily work and I always have time to answer their questions and queries.
  
  
• What do you enjoy about your job?
  What I enjoy about my job is that sometimes it's unpredictable. There are always some additional tasks, quite often last minute, urgent things which need to be done, which make my job more interesting.
  
  
• What do you like most about working in Takeda
  Working with people from different departments as one team and that we are all trying hard to achieve the same goal - TO BE THE BEST PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY.
  
  
• What is your favourite memory about working in Takeda?
  I have some good memories from when I was working in Production, QA and now - Packaging Control Department. I have been able to meet many good people on different levels, from which I have learned many things which has helped me to be successful in my current job.

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Sebastian Slotwinski
Environmental AssistantBack to top

• Favourite Pastimes:
  Playing Board and Video Games, Reading books, Cycling
  
  
• Likes:
  Long Distance Travel (including space travel;), Ancient History, Photography, Gadgets
  
  
• Dislikes:
  Mean People, Bad Weather, Warm Beer.
  
  
• Tell us about your role at Takeda?
  My main role here in Takeda is to ensure Company compliance with relevant Environmental Legislation, promote and raise environmental awareness among the staff and support all departments in developing environmental activities. I also coordinate ERT (Emergency Response Team) and I'm part of bGMP (Quality) and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) groups. Currently I'm doing a course in Occupational Health and Safety too.
  
  
• Describe a typical day
  I wake up at 6:15 AM - partially, only to snooze my alarm. Then snooze it again at 6:25 and finally and eagerly get up at 6:35. Quick shower, get dressed. Drink water, If it is a "warm" season ( April- October) and not raining I would cycle to work otherwise drive to work with my wife ( we're fortunate to work in the same business park )- reducing our carbon footprint associated with commuting to work by half. Usually I'm at work at 8:30 (although I always aim to start at 7:30 ;) I get my emails done (if there are any new) and review my deliverables for the day and after brief team meeting, I get down to the individual tasks. For starters I pick up the quick ones like: updating our Departmental SharePoint page, raising Purchase Orders or sort out new waste disposal certificates. Then it's time for a quick breakfast. After charging my batteries I get back to my desk and continue working on my tasks. Depending on the day it might be some kind of data input ( e.g. effluent, waste ), review SOPs or attend various meetings or training sessions. After lunch (1-1:30 PM) I would focus on fulfilling more demanding tasks from my list like creating reports, preparing training presentations or researching. For example at the moment it's implementing a Carbon footprint management system. My mission in Takeda is generally complete between 5-6 PM. We're back at our Head Quarters around 7 o'clock and at 7-8 PM we have dinner. I'll spend a couple of hours playing my video games, reading fascinating stories about Ancient Romans or watching movies/favourite TV series.
  
  
• What do you enjoy about your job?
  I enjoy the chance to be creative and feeling that my work can really make a difference.
  
  
• What do you like most about working in Takeda
  Diversity. I like working with people from different countries. I also like that Takeda is a big company and there is always an opportunity to learn new things.
  
  
• What is your favourite memory about working in Takeda?
  I have many good memories: start of the TIL2015 plan and whole transformation period - when we all started to change and become a "learning" company. A recent one was from September when our CSR group supported Blue September (Charity Group). During the whole month we were involved in many unusual activities and had a chance to meet some very interesting people.
  
  

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Jennifer Cullen
QC ExecutiveBack to top

• Favourite Pastimes:
  Watching rugby and football, travelling.
  
  
• Likes:
  Going for walks, cooking, coffee.
  
  
• Dislikes:
  Poor timekeeping, bad drivers.
  
  
• Tell us about your role at Takeda?
  My role in Takeda is to look after the day to day running of the lab.
  
  
• Describe a typical day
  There is definitely no "typical" day as each day brings new challenges and opportunities.
  
  
• What do you enjoy about your job?
  I like working with people, ensuring that they have everything they need to test the products and do their job. I get a lot of satisfaction in knowing that we are working hard to produce good products which ultimately will help improve the quality of life of patients around the world.
  
  
• What do you like most about working in Takeda
  I find the job very rewarding, this is helped by the people that I work with. There is a great sense of camaraderie and teamwork which always helps gets things done, and done well.
  
  
• What is your favourite memory about working in Takeda?
  In 2007 we opened our new laboratory which is a bright open, modern space with new equipment, this has made a great difference in the way we work.
  
  

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Miriam Farrelly
Production Executive - currently working in the Projects DepartmentBack to top

• Favourite Pastimes:
  Trying to keep fit. Completing running race series, road cycling, going to the gym, reading and socializing.
  
  
• Likes:
  44 minutes into a 45minute spin class and ice-cream
  
  
• Dislikes:
  5 minutes into a 45 minute spin class
  
  
• Tell us about your role at Takeda?
  I joined Takeda 8 years ago as a Production Technologist and I am now a Production Executive (Supervisor).
  For 6.5 years of this time I worked on a dedicated 24/7 production line from the design and validation stage right through to full commercial production.
  I was responsible for overseeing and organising a committed manufacturing team. I ensured that all procedures, equipment and process areas were available, clean and met with defined specifications to comply with Takeda's ideology and cGMP.
  
  I am currently working within the Projects Department which has offered me many new exciting challenges. My current project schedule has many key milestones that need to be achieved by specific dates.
  
  
• Describe a typical day
  I have recently joined a project team and as I am out of the Production area, every day is different with new milestones as different stages of the project are completed.
  
  
• What do you enjoy about your job?
  I enjoy working with my co-workers. At all times everyone is striving for the highest possible standard in every task that they perform.
  Within Takeda, effective team work and open lines of communication between every department is encouraged. I would regularly liaise directly with other departments to ensure support services are fully utilised. All issues are investigated thoroughly and recommend/ implement possible corrective actions. This key characteristic within Takeda -TIL will enable the facility to become best in class.
  
  
• What do you like most about working in Takeda
  Within Takeda everyone is extremely friendly and approachable. Even after 8 years I can approach any member in any department and ask a question. Also while working for Takeda I have been able to continue my academic career by completing a Graduate Diploma in Pharmaceutical Production and a MSc in Industrial Pharmaceutical Science. I have been able to apply what I have learned in my everyday job.
  
  
• What is your favourite memory about working in Takeda?
  I was one of the original team members involved with the development of a Production line from inception right through to full commercial production. So I would have to say that one of my favourite memories would be when the first commercial lot left the facility. I knew how much effort and team work had gone into achieving this significant milestone. The pride I felt was enormous.