The CIA gathers industry insights through a quarterly business survey to advocate for our members’ interests with policy makers, regulators and other stakeholders.
Read more
The CIA is proud to announce the launch of the new Sustainable Health Metrics Tool.
Read more
The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is fundamental to modern society. With an immense variety of products, from vital medicines and foods, the construction of buildings, to transport and leisure, the industry truly does have an impact on virtually every aspect of our daily lives.
Read moreMy name is Sam and I am an Operations Manager at Veolia within the hazardous waste division. I lead a site that transports, stores and segregates hazardous chemical waste so that it can be disposed of safely, compliantly and in the way that maximises reuse and recycling.
Before I began my career with Veolia in 2020 I had graduated from the University of Loughborough with a Masters in Chemistry and, I imagine like many recent graduates, had absolutely no idea what to do next!
I decided to apply for a variety of graduate schemes aimed at helping graduates expand their knowledge of the wider industry and discover what they are truly passionate about in the workplace. This led to me joining Veolia as a Graduate Chemist as part of a 2 year programme working across 4 of its hazardous waste sites. I had a great time and I also began to appreciate the true scope and possibilities available in the chemical industry, this led me to move away from my traditional technical background and into an operations based role. What I enjoy most about it is the fast paced and varied experiences it brings outside of just operations such as getting involved with health and safety, finance, engineering and more.
My advice to future careerists in the chemical industry would be to keep an open mind to the sheer possibilities available to you, make contact with scientific and technical graduate job sites and forums and don’t be afraid to reach out to the hiring managers for potential opportunities you are interested in to try and learn more. When you are new to the industry and the professional world that can often feel nerve wracking but now, often finding myself on the opposite side of the interview table with new graduates, I can tell you that receiving questions and interest from interviewees is a genuine pleasure and only demonstrates your passion and makes you look great!
The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is fundamental to modern society. With an immense variety of products, from vital medicines and foods, the construction of buildings, to transport and leisure, the industry truly does have an impact on virtually every aspect of our daily lives.
Visit our chemical industry page
Aged 16, Amy joined SABIC as a Laboratory Technician Apprentice and now 9 years later Amy works as a Research Chemist for SABIC’s Technology & Innovation group
