IT consultant Lars Grønlund Forman suddenly changed his career path and joined NNE after more than 22 years in a different role. Read why he enjoys developing his skills and rising to the challenge every day.
How did you become an IT consultant?
I trained as a process operator and worked as one for more than 20 years, but I was always very IT-minded. One day, a former colleague asked me if I was interested in pursuing IT consultancy at NNE. I was content where I was, but I also wanted to take on a new challenge.
I began looking at the job requirements and I was sure I didn’t have a chance. Then, a paragraph at the bottom of the ad caught my eye. It matched me perfectly - a people person with a deep background in production. It turned out to be a true fit and I was hired in April 2015.
What was it like to change your career?
Diving into this new role was like walking into a pitch-black room. I had to learn a whole new programming language and familiarize myself with GMP compliance and other regulations in the pharma industry. It was a steep learning curve, but I don't regret it for a second.
I was very lucky to be placed with colleagues who always take the time to teach me new things, never mind how busy they are. I haven’t met a colleague yet who doesn’t have a positive attitude and is extremely competent at their job. What’s more, they also value my 20 years of experience and expertise.
What do you value most about working at NNE?
I have had the chance to take training courses, but what impresses me most is that my managers really encourage me to make my own development goals. I would like to become very skilled within GMP compliance. I am surprised how much our customers rely on us to provide, explain and enforce these guidelines, which makes it very important to me.
After just a couple of months with the company, I was thrown into my first project – another pitch-black room. But thanks to my mentor's encouragement, it was a fantastic learning experience and the first two projects I was a part of earned a customer satisfaction score of 85 and 95 out of 100 respectively.
In previous NNE projects, I worked mostly with changing parameters within insulin production, but now I compile new compounds myself and build my own smaller protocols. I was given a great amount of project responsibility early on, but always with great help from my colleagues. It is an uphill learning curve, but I look forward to developing further and challenging myself for years to come.
Bio:
- Lars Grønlund Forman is educated as a process operator at the process school in Kalundborg
- He was a process operator student from 1993 to 1996 in the Novo Insulin extraction factory in Kalundborg
- He joined Novo Nordisk in 1996 working within fermentation as a process operator
- After more than 22 years with Novo Nordisk and later Novozymes, he was approached by a former colleague who suggested he look into NNE
- By April 2015, Lars was hired by NNE as an IT consultant
