5 Questions with Nesha Miller, Director, Supply Chain, Kite Pharma
November 14, 2023
| This article is part of our 5 Questions With series, one of our ongoing People & Places Features. We love it because despite the consistent questioning, the answers are all unique. Be sure to FOLLOW us on LinkedIn to tell us what you think. |
1. Tell us about your career path leading up to your current role at Kite.
I studied chemical engineering at Illinois Tech and the University of Michigan. During my studies, I had the opportunity to intern in several different industries including chemicals and plastics, consumer products, and biotechnology. Following college, my internship experiences allowed me to narrow my focus in biotech and that is how I landed my first full-time role as a staff engineer at a vaccine manufacturing facility. Earlier in my career, I quickly became more and more interested in people and organizational management, manufacturing planning and scheduling.
I have always been the person who thinks about tomorrow, the next week, or even the next year and makes plans to respond to anything that may be thrown my way. This strength in strategic planning, coupled with my interest in organizational management, planning, and scheduling, is what led me to my current role in Supply Chain at Kite.
2. You have worked at several big pharmaceutical companies during your career. Can you reflect on your experience at Kite and what has made it special or different?
At Kite, we are singularly focused on cell therapy to treat and potentially cure cancer. CAR T-cell therapy is a custom-made, one-time cancer treatment that engineers a patient’s own white blood cells and harnesses their immune system to treat certain kinds of blood cancer. The Supply Chain team plays a critical role in delivering these individualized therapies to patients.
There is a huge mindset shift that needs to happen when working in a make-to-order vs. make-to-stock environment. Because our therapies are specifically manufactured for an individual, there is no final product inventory. In my previous roles, we had freezers full of products ready to be shipped to the next supply chain location at a moment’s notice. We could stockpile or reduce inventory at will to react to demand changes. If we had a batch that was not successful, for example, there were other batches we could replace it with, without there being an issue. This is not the case for cell therapy products, like those we make at Kite. This is a 24/7, 365 day a year business where time is a critical factor that can make the difference between a patient being able to receive CAR T-cell therapy or having their cancer progress to the point where they are no longer strong enough for treatment.
From a Supply Chain perspective, there is huge complexity involved in cell therapy manufacturing, with hundreds of team members working to ensure the quality and supply of an individual patient’s cells, which requires high levels of teamwork and expertise. At the end of the day, our goal is to ensure there is nothing that stands in the way of our ability to deliver to patients. Kite’s commitment and passion for our patients is at the heart of what I do and what each and every employee does at the company.
3. If I am an entry-level jobseeker, what are some of the reasons I should apply to Kite?
Kite is a fantastic place to begin an entry-level career because we really focus on our people and their talents versus fitting someone into a box. When a person joins Kite, they will work with their manager to master their role, and also have longer-term development discussions regarding their personal career aspirations and what other roles they may qualify for at Kite. Our managers work with their team members to create specific action plans to help people reach their development goals. In addition to daily work, there are also numerous opportunities to get involved through our employee engagement groups, volunteer events or simply network with colleagues at on-campus work events.
4. What does career growth look like at Kite? If I start in an entry-level manufacturing or supply chain role, are there opportunities for me to advance my role at the company?
Over the course of a year, each employee will have the opportunity to have a discussion with their manager specifically about career growth. The discussion is about improving your proficiency and skillset in your current role and laying the foundation for career growth in your function if you are already loving what you do. On the other hand, if you wanted to try something different, the opportunity for growth through change is there too. If you are in Manufacturing or Supply Chain and would like to explore other areas like quality or engineering for example, there is a customized career plan and discussion that will be created just for you.
5. As a female leader in supply chain, do you have advice you would like to share with other women in similar roles in this industry?
I have been really fortunate to have leaders across my career at various organizations, including Kite, who “met me where I was at” in terms of what my work looked like at different phases in life. One piece of advice I would offer is over the span of a career, your needs will change with your life circumstances.
The first important question to answer is, what are my needs and wishes? Once you understand that, it is time to verbalize these needs to your manager. Do not underestimate or cut out your leader from the opportunity to work with you as you navigate these transitions and learning opportunities.
