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Anand Ondhia

Year of Study

N/A

Occupation

Sales Representative

Qualification(s)

BSc Chemistry


BSc Chemistry
Year of Graduation: 2015
Job title: Sales Representative
Employer: Reckitt Benckiser

Your background:

Prior to joining Loughborough, I have always felt that the chemical industry is an area which every individual depends on, whether it is the dyes in the clothes we wear, the interactions behind the drugs we consume, or the scintillations that allows us to watch our televisions. We depend on the innovation within this sector, to help improve the quality of our lives. My ambition to help revolutionise the chemical industry one day, along with my passion for kickboxing, was a pivotal decision to apply to Loughborough. The dream to attend a university, which has an exceptional reputation in academia, alongside an atmosphere where athletes excel on the sporting front, has definitely been a pleasure to experience.

Where are you now?

I am currently a Sales Representative for Reckitt Benckiser, driving the growth of a large number of over the counter brands like Lemsip, Gaviscon and Nurofen in independent pharmacies. My choice to move over from the pharmaceutical industry to the fast moving consumer goods was to try and adapt to different environments and obtain a wide depth of experience in the healthcare industry.

How did you get there?

Having graduated in July, I embarked straight into employment. I was offered a return into the clinical industry at Merck Sharp & Dohme, where I had spent my placement as a Junior Clinical Research Associate. During my second year the University careers service were tremendous in helping me prepare for interviews and thanks to their advice, I managed to land my placement. However, having returned to Merck Sharp and Dohme, I felt that I needed a new challenge and in order to try and innovate in the future, I wanted to obtain a commercial experience to determine how products currently operate on the market.

Where are you going?

I feel my career is progressing in an abnormal route compared to any other careers. Having started in the clinical industry (pre-marketed route), I wanted to grasp the R&D nature in the pharmaceutical industry. Having now entered the commercial sector, I want to absorb as much information as I can in the sales field, with the aim to move into marketing and help deliver products onto the market. This should give me an overall picture of the full product cycle, so I can bring my experience back into R&D and lead an innovative forefront. I can only value my success by hoping to revolutionise at least one
person’s life, other than mine.

What if anything would you have done differently during your time at Loughborough University
to help you prepare better for your career/life upon graduation?

Although I do not regret anything that I have done, I feel I could have done a lot more in helping the community. I think that doing charity work is really under appreciated by individuals. However, it is so simple to do a small task a week, regardless if it’s for an hour, which would make a massive difference to someone else. Finding the time out of our busy social life; studying time, whilst enjoying down time, really makes it difficult to take the step to making a change, but if I had really challenged myself to do more, I would have seen the benefit of delivering a change to my local community.

What advice would you give to a student studying your subject at university now?

Just get involved in as much as you can. It may seem like university is gearing you up to work for the rest of your life, but do not rush anything. If you are not satisfied with how things are going. Take a step back, reflect on why you are not satisfied and just see if there is a way to improve what you are doing to ensure you are always happy.