Victor Meeus
Current Employer/Organisation Name
Novo Nordisk
What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?
After leaving Exeter, post-BA Business and Management with Industrial Experience (IBM), I completed an MSc at the LSE, specifically International Health Policy (Health Economics). From this point, I immediately began the Novo Nordisk Graduate Programme starting on September 2020. I am now beginning my 3rd rotation, after having completed a rotation in the Global function in Copenhagen, and one in the International Operations team in Zurich.
Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?
I embarked on this career as it enabled me to put y undergraduate degree into practice, within a field that I was passionate about. With the added specialisation during my post-graduate, the pharmaceutical industry became a fantastic blend between business excellence and health care. What I enjoy most is working for an organisation with purpose, and clearly defined values (Novo Nordisk Way, Circular for Zero programmes), which link back to some of the strategies and ways of working taught during my time at Exeter.
Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?
Exeter University Athletics Club;
Exeter Model United Nations.
What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?
First, was the range of individuals on the programme. The diversity of thought & mind meant that every challenge, topic, problem, and task had a different and unique solution. This also led to some of the biggest highlights – not necessarily a specific one, but the culmination of all of the cross-functional projects. Other key highlights were the exposure to other students from separate degrees – an expansion of the experience within the business school.
What did you enjoy most about studying here?
The passion of some of the lecturers. When a lecturer cared about the topic, and provided the opportunity for discussion and succeed, this radically changed the way I engaged with projects. Finance based topics were not a strength of mine, yet, as an example, I looked most forward to this through the sheer passion and drive of my lecturer.
Why did you choose to study at Exeter?
The wonderful location of the campus, the high quality of life, along with the broader competitiveness of the course benchmarked to other similar courses.
What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?
Project and stakeholder management. This skills are industry, specialty, and interest agnostic. Without a clear direction, a clear plan to apply strategy, and an understanding of who is involved, the best work will go unfinished and unseen.
What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?
Get engaged early and often. Test out, in whatever way you can, if this is an area you want to be in – without some passion and drive, a fundamental piece of intrinsic motivation, it will be a painful experience. Along with this, pick up the basics of the policy and industry space as a whole, and you excel!
What are your plans for the future?
To continue on this path, with the eventual ambition of becoming the General Manager of a country.
