I chose the study International Marketing & Management at the International Business School in Groningen because of its international aspect. The year abroad in combination with marketing as well as an entire four-year programme in English made IBS the right choice for me.
During my studies I did my study abroad in New Zealand and my placement abroad at Océ in South Africa. This was a wonderful experience that helped me gain insight into different cultures as well as business etiquette around the world.
Shortly after I graduated I started working for Boehringer Ingelheim B.V., a family-owned business in pharmaceutical products. The fact that it’s a family-owned business is very unique in this industry and is defining for the organisational culture. As a Product Manager (also referred to as Brand Manager), I work at the Marketing department for Prescription Medicines. I am responsible for ensuring we implement the best possible marketing strategy and positioning strategy for the products Sifrol and Flibanserine. Basically this entails writing a marketing plan and determining which strategic and operational activities can contribute to the objectives within the available budget both on a national as well as international level. As a Product Manager, you are the link between the sales department, the financial department and the medical department.
For three years in a row now, Boehringer Ingelheim B.V. has been awarded as being one of the best companies world wide by the Corporate Research Foundation. Within the Netherlands Boehringer Ingelheim B.V. has been responsible for several block busters of which the most well known are Spiriva and Sifrol. To the general public well-known products from the Consumer Health Care department are Bisolvon and Deoleen.
Boehringer Ingelheim B.V accounts for 270 employees in the Netherlands. World wide Boehringer Ingelheim B.V has almost 40,000 employees. In the Netherlands the organisation accounts for a turnover of approximately 130 million euro’s. World wide this is about 11 billion euro’s.
The International Business School (IBS) has helped me develop the competencies necessary for me to do the work I do today. I travel all over the world to visit conventions and to ensure that our products are marketed as desired. I look back at my years at IBS with fond memories and can truly say that IBS does a great job at preparing individuals for the global workplace!