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Julie Speed |
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Little did Julie Speed know that when she was earning her MBA at Texas Christian University, she’d soon be beginning a rewarding tenure in ophthalmology.
Julie had worked as a marketing intern at Alcon while she worked on her degree. When she graduated, Alcon offered her a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Twelve years and five job titles later, she is now Alcon’s U.S. director of marketing in the surgical division.
Julie has had a variety of unique experiences at Alcon, and held positions in market research, international glaucoma brand management, and executive team strategy.
“My tenure here at Alcon is due to the range of development opportunities that exist to keep moving and gain truly different experiences," Julie says. "Alcon has been good (and getting better) about taking people out of their comfort zone and stretching them in new assignments.”
Julie credits her ability not only to adapt, but also to thrive in changing, challenging environments as one of the qualities that has helped her most in her career.
“I enjoy learning new things, and I feed off of new challenges," she says.
Accepting change has given her a broad perspective that allows her to find new solutions to problems. She also relies on mentoring relationships to provide new perspective.
“One of the most valuable aspects of a mentor is having someone outside of your normal operating reality that helps you find a different way of tackling an issue," Julie says. "I have had key mentors in my career while having the opportunity to mentor several co-workers on an informal basis. One of the most important assets a mentor brings to the relationship is a new perspective by someone not so invested in the outcome.”
She also advocates fostering a strong network of supporters. To that end, she has always been very proactive about building relationships with colleagues inside and outside of Alcon, regardless of if they seemed to matter at the time.
“I don’t golf or spend much time off-hours with co-workers, so I had to find my own way to network with others in a comparable, relaxed environment," Julie says. “I have frequently used my lunch time to invite different people to lunch to stay in touch with old colleagues, network with those I don’t routinely see, or someone I want to get to know better.”
This strategic use of time means that she always has a network of supporters, Julie says.
She feels that OWL presents a unique opportunity for women. Networking is central in any career, and OWL provides peers that can identify with the challenges unique to women. In addition to networking, career development and mentoring programs outside of Alcon are of great interest to the women there.
“Because we tend to have long tenures at Alcon, this opportunity to grow professionally and connect with others outside of our company, but within our industry, is very beneficial,” Julie says.
The roles that Julie has enjoyed most in her career have had more of a strategic portfolio, a macro-planning aspect that allows her to create a vision and inspire people with that vision.
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