In this month’s episode, we have the pleasure of speaking to Awara Gbeblewo, senior manager, RCO, vendor operations and engagement. This episode was hosted by Bryant Powell, associate director, social media, Digital Platform Strategy, and host for the BOLD Innovators podcast series. Awara leads a team of SRMs who are responsible for building and managing clinical site relationships for outsourced studies in Europe. Since joining BMS, Awara has been actively involved in inclusion and diversity initiatives. She founded and led the BOLD chapter in Switzerland for more than two years, was on the leadership team of the local B-NOW chapter and is now the co-lead for the BOLD LIFT program. Awara shares her inspiring story of perseverance in the face of setbacks and adversities. She discusses her journey from being a first-year medical school student to selling camera lenses for a decade before returning to school and pursuing a career in life sciences, fulfilling a lifelong ambition. When asked about moments of being boldly urgent in her career and personal life, Awara credits her mother and husband, both of whom have careers that require composure while being urgent. She draws motivation from them and emphasizes the importance of proper planning and anticipation, which leads to faster acceleration and efficient execution. Awara’s biggest life lesson is always to have a contingency plan. She says, “Something I learned is to always have a Plan B even C and D, because if your first plan doesn't work, you need to have something else because otherwise you feel really helpless.”
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