Business Growth, Managing Change & Vaccine Production – Wockhardt Pharmaceuticals

Wockhardts Vaccine Production and Leadership Course

Wockhardt is one of the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the UK and employ over 500 people at its 612,000 square feet high-tech manufacturing facility at Wrexham.

The site is responsible for the ‘Fill and Finish’ stage of the vaccine process, which means putting the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine in vials using a high-speed production line, inspecting the product and packaging it for dispatch.

Wockhardt were looking for a transformational and continuing leadership development programme which focused on leadership, behavioural change, and business growth.

People are the mainstay of Wockhardt’s organisation and aim to offer an enriching environment for professional and personal growth for every employee, with an open, participative culture that permeates each level of the company.  Investing in their people means that they can always be confident that the needs of their customers are met.

Traditionally there was an internal culture of training within the organisation, however many managers on leadership programmes had little exposure to other businesses management techniques, business networks and best practices.

Leadership Development

James Fletcher, Learning and Development Manager at Wockhardt chose the 20Twenty Business Growth programmes to help develop their talent pool of managers. Staff were nominated for either the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) level 4 or CMI level 7 programmes based on their potential and operating level. 

Delivered in Wrexham, 20Twenty enabled staff to gain a different perspective on leadership, business and growth ideas. 

The programme covers leadership and management styles, provides delegates with the knowledge to develop high performing teams, identify growth opportunities and improve efficiencies. Delegates also learn how to utilise key leadership skills such as mental resilience, marketing strategies, managing finance and managing change and conflict. 

This investment has led to the sign up of key leaders to the 20Twenty Business Growth Programme offered by Bangor University (in collaboration with Cardiff Metropolitan University).

The programme will equip senior and middle managers within the organisation with the skills and techniques to be able to take the business to the next level.  

Wockhardts building

The Flagship 20Twenty (level 7) programme includes a mixture of Masterclasses, whilst creating an environment where ideas could be shared.  

Staff also had access to executive coaching on a 1-2-1 basis to support their professional goals, and training on emotional intelligence and resilience to protect well-being as they took on new leadership or managerial challenges. 

The Fast-Track (level 4) programme focuses on vision and strategy, before focusing on the competencies and capabilities that leaders and managers need to think creatively, take good decisions, and improve their performance.  An overall theme throughout the programme is to help delegates develop their mind-set to cope with challenges and change, and to develop mental toughness.

Wockhardt’s objective for the 20Twenty leadership development programme was to enable their leaders of the future to engage with the inherent and future change of the organisation.

It also aimed to provide staff with a toolbox of skills to be able to lead, motivate and develop their own leadership teams to support and drive the growth of the business.  

What The Leaders Say

James Fletcher - Wockhardt

James Fletcher, Learning and Development Manager at Wockhardt explained:

“Talent Development is a key part of our Learning & Development Strategy here at Wockhardt.  We want to make sure that our very best people see Wockhardt as a place where they can grow their careers and that in turn will breed motivation and loyalty. 

Due to our commitment to the Government in manufacturing the Vaccine, we needed to make sure that we were sending a strong message to our talent pools that we wanted to invest in them and develop their leadership skills and teams. 

The CMI-accredited 20Twenty Programmes have enabled us to do that, and already two of our key leaders have completed the programme, with another six due to complete soon.  I would highly recommend the programmes and they will continue to be a major route to developing our leaders of the future”.

John Hancock - Wockhardt

John Hancock, Production Supervisor at Wockhardt

“I was selected to complete the programme in August 2020. At the time my role as Production Supervisor had encompassed a wider scope of responsibility and personnel. I was therefore keen to immerse myself into the programme to benefit fully from the learning.

Due to the pandemic the programme was delivered via Zoom however the subject matter was presented with drive and passion. The tutors more than made up for the limiting issues associated with video conferencing. The sessions were engaging, immersive and had a large emphasis on participation.

I have taken away some key skills such as mentoring, developing, situational leadership and managerial influence. I have a more emphatic and communicative relationship with the team as a result of the programme which has enabled the group to be more aware and feel supported.”

Shashank Kamble

Shashank Kamble, OTC & Customer Service Manager

“In my new role as Customer Service Manager, heading a team of three people was a new challenge for me as I haven’t handled big teams before. The course gave me tools to understand about myself, my management style and how to adapt as per the situation.

Different models help me to understand what motivates people and money may not be the sole motivator for people.  Decision-making, autonomy and learning are important as well.

How attitude and assumptions can influence my behaviour and as a manager I need to take decisions based on facts and setting SMART objectives and as per organisational priorities. The Finance module was useful to understand different financial statements such as balance sheet, profit & loss. This will help me while looking at new customers to understand their finance position and decide on acceptance criteria.  

The team I am handling is highly experienced, so I learned that micromanagement is unnecessary, so I am letting the team take the lead and solve problems. This has built in certain confidence, trust in each other’s abilities and supporting culture.

I will be looking at change as a natural process and embrace all the stages of change with a positive mind-set.  Overall, a really useful programme to develop my leadership skills to manage a team”.

Related Links

Rhyl Journal Article – Prime Minister Visits Vaccine Lab

BBC Article – Covid vaccines: Prince of Wales praises Wockhardt staff