Since its creation, GCT has been serving pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the ever changing environment. When we say GCT, we mean the employees who make our growth possible.

Continuing our employee story anniversary section, this month we are sharing the story of someone who has been with the companysince its very beginning. His name is Anton Romanov, Event Manager at Global Clinical Trials.

  • Which office are you located at?

Based in St. Petersburg, Russia, which is historically the oldest office of the company. St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, this is a great location since it sits at the crossroads between Europe’s Nordic and Eastern/Baltic regions — and Russia. The city boasts a bustling cultural and business scene, it’s a great location to live, learn and work.

  • How long have you worked here? Can you tell more about your role and background?

I’m holding a Master’s degree in Management. Being with the company since 2001, I’ve switched through multiple roles and positions, including IT, Marketing, currently, I’m in charge of Event Management internationally.

  • Was the job what you expected it would be? Did anything surprise you?

Everything has been quite a surprise since I’ve started as a part-time intern. My biggest amazement was the team — friendly, helpful, and supportive.

  • What’s changed at the company since you’ve joined?

GCT has grown from a local start-up to a CRO with a global footprint. The company has gone through the challenging process where passion and enthusiasm translate into consistent standards, but at the same time managed to retain both.

  • What is important for you in the corporate culture of GCT?

GCT is built around strong leadership, openness, dedication, and responsibility. Those are the values that shaped the company. But what’s probably even more important is that as the company has been built by people with a medical background, who grow up with the medical traditions of sharing knowledge, teaching, and learning — GCT has always been, and remains the place where people flourish.

  • Can you describe an event that was particularly memorable during your career at GCT?

There have been so many — probably all of the «firsts». Probably the most heart-warming memories are associated with the first global studies: seeing how intercultural barriers dissolve when teams from different parts of the world, speaking different languages bond while working on pursuing common goals.

  • What was the moment when you knew you’d made the right decision to work here?

That was when I got to know the people, GCT team members, which went far beyond their formal job obligations: worked truly to the best of their skills, took on the challenges, and dedicated themselves to
deliver perfection.

  • Tell us about the funniest story that happened to you during your work

I wouldn’t call it funny, but quite memorable: One of our first projects in Russia was for a trial sponsored by a US company, which contracted a global events vendor to organize all the investigator meetings for their global project. The vendor produced all of the materials in the US centrally and courier-shipped everything to the venue in Russia just a few days prior to the meeting. The shipment got trapped in the customs-and-couriers maze, and on the weekend prior to the meeting, the client informed us about the dire situation with their vendor. Luckily, we had sufficient staff, a friendly copy center next door which agreed to work for us 24/7. Coke, pizza and piles of handouts — that was actually a great weekend for us, and we could produce everything locally in just one day. Ever since our strongest point is staying local, no matter how global we grow.

  • What do you think the mission of GCT is?

2020 has shown to the world what clinical trials are, and how vital they may be to the well-being of literally every single person on our planet. GCT sees its purpose in helping to bring medicines to the people, and should the challenge be a pandemic striking globally, or rare orphan disease, it remains equally important.

  • Describe GCT in 10 years

The company expanded geographically, in terms of employee numbers — and most importantly projects wisely. Today we are taking on bigger challenges — that’s possible thanks to the wealth of experience accumulated.