International Women’s Day: an interview with Katie Matys
Katie Matys, General Manager of Biomarker Group, PPD (PA, USA)
Katie Matys has over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to moving to PPD, she worked with several large pharma companies. In 2002, Katie started with Centocor (PA,USA) in the core molecular and flow cytometry laboratories and transitioned to Merck (NJ, USA) in 2005. At Merck, Katie was part of the Vaccine Sciences Department, developing and validating ligand binding methods in support of Gardasil®. In 2009, she joined PPD and has held a variety of roles and titles, with the most recent as the General Manager of the Biomarker group. Katie earned a BSc degree in Molecular Biology from Temple University (PA, USA) and a MSc degree from St. Joseph (PA, USA) in Cell and Molecular Biology. She is currently finishing up her EMBA from Drexel University (PA, USA).
1. What does a typical working day look like for you?
I typically start my workday between 7:00 and 7:30 am, either with meetings with my international colleagues or reviewing proposals for potential new work. About 70–80% of my day is occupied with meetings, either project or staff meetings. The remainder of my day is spent planning strategic initiatives, communicating with stakeholders and sharing updates with the teams. I end my day by reviewing my calendar for the next day, going over my task lists for the next day and prioritizing the most urgent items.
2. Who is your biggest role model and why do they inspire you?
Ariana Huffington, a co-Founder of The Huffington Post, the Founder and CEO of Thrive Global (NY, USA) and the author of 15 books. She has been named on Time Magazine’s list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list. I am inspired by her because she is a big advocate for helping other woman be successful, to pull them up to the top rather than trying to keep them down. But mostly, because she is not deterred by the naysayers and critics. She built her brand by being her authentic self.
3. What is the best part about your job?
Teaching. I was fortunate to find a career that married my passion for science with drug development. While I am no longer in the laboratory, I try to spend time thinking about ways we can engage younger scientists to continue to learn and apply their skills at the bench.
4. What is the strangest thing that has happened whilst working?
One of my co-workers needed music to relax before she set up her experiments, so she played a few songs on her clarinet first thing in the morning.
5. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
You are not perfect, you are human. You are not defined by your mistakes, but by what you do in the aftermath – so do not quit. Just keep running.
