Thomas Carganico Appointed Local Equity Partner for PQE Group
PQE Group is a leading provider of quality solutions for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, with a global presence and expertise in various regulatory and compliance areas. The company is a women-owned Contract Quality Organization and Complete Quality Solution provider for GCP, GLP, GMP & GDP areas in the Life Sciences. PQE Group has a long history of supporting companies of all sizes and exceeding compliance standards. The company is dedicated to creating value for its customers by putting its multidisciplinary teams and knowledge at their service, allowing clients to achieve and maintain compliance with the latest regulations, and contributing to creating a safer medical device and pharmaceutical environment. With over 15,000 successful projects completed and 1400+ medical device and pharmaceutical clients served worldwide, PQE Group delivers turnkey quality solutions while focusing on exceptional cost-effectiveness and the highest quality of care. PQE Group specializes in areas including Regulatory Affairs and Strategy, Quality Compliance, Third Party Audits, Data Integrity Assurance, Digital Governance, Qualification and Engineering, and Laboratory Excellence. PQE’s global imprint allows for a “Glocal” approach which is focused on utilizing local support to achieve global success.
Thomas Carganico, Global Director of Marketing and Communications for PQE Group, was recently named a Local Equity Partner for the organization. Thomas has been with PQE Group since 2017 and has grown steadily in his role, which encompasses the oversight of all marketing and communications initiatives and activities on behalf of the company.
Since 2013, Thomas has worked extensively within services industries across the US, UK and Europe; he now has added countries to his list of global experience that include South and Latin America, Asia and Canada, to which he brings strong experience related to Digital Branding, Marketing, Public Relations and Strategic Communications. He has been a member of ISPE since 2020, responsible for the communications area of the Italy Affiliate Committee and serving as the lead for its Emerging Leaders and Students; in 2022, Thomas was nominated by the ISPE Italy Affiliate to sit on its Board of Directors. He is also an ambassador for ISPE’s Women in Pharma® program.
BioBuzz caught up with Thomas to learn more about how he landed this new role and what he’s most excited about.
Reflect a bit on your career path up to this new position – how have your previous experiences at PQE Group as well as other organizations prior to PQE prepared you for this partner role?
My early career leading up to PQE was ideal, really, because it provided outstanding training. I gained a tremendous amount of experience in marketing, public relations and communications in my previous roles in the US and the UK, where I had opportunities to work in the field, which is of course fully hands-on. I also learned a lot about project management – how to manage people, do business, and ensure projects and programs were completed successfully by a collaborative team. These were some of the most important lessons I learned prior to joining PQE. And my lessons learned at PQE have been very helpful in developing a partner mindset – caring for the company and the staff, acting like I have ownership – and have led to a natural evolution; while I actually think I wasn’t really prepared to come into this partner role, at the same time, I feel I was ready for it.
What’s the story of how you have grown your career within – and outside of – PQE?
When I was in New York, I worked in the film industry with many artists in show business; this required managing tight schedules and strong egos. Working in this environment, and on related projects, helped me better understand how to interact with people – a soft skill that has been helpful in managing teams, particularly in high stress or difficult situations.And working in public relations and communications also provided great insight into better ways to communicate with, and manage, people and teams.
My first position at PQE was doing talent acquisition for the Human Resources department. At the time, we were beginning to expand into the US, and while this position wasn’t really my thing, it provided me the opportunity to become the first talent acquisition manager for PQE’s US expansion. In addition, back then PQE did not have a marketing department; already very well known in Italy and other parts of Europe, we recognized the importance of investing in branding for the US. Since I was already with the company and had the background in marketing, PR and communications, it was natural for me to apply internally for the position.
Our CEO, Gilda D’Incerti, appreciates people who speak up and ask for what they want. Applying for this position, I learned how important this is – if I didn’t express my interest by applying and networkingwith others within the company, someone else would have likely gotten the job. This is another lesson learned – make sure you speak up and ensure the company is aware of your interest in whatever you are seeking to do.
What are you most looking forward to in this new role? What impact are you hoping to have in the next 6 months to a year?
We are experiencing rapid growth within the US – with offices in Rockville, MD, Boston, MA, San Diego, CA, Raleigh, NC, Buffalo, NY and Chicago, IL, and more locations being planned. We also have representation in the New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania region. As I am currently focusing much of my efforts on our US markets, I continue to work hard to meet and establish mutually beneficial relationships with local organizations, like BioBuzz and other industry and US-based associations and companies, to help us continue to establish PQE as the important contributor to the industry that it is. I’m particularly excited that, while we provide solutions to numerous global organizations, we are really helping start-ups and small to mid-size companies, particularly in the US, by offering training, consulting services, and funding initiatives. I’m excited that I will be managing the strategy for business development and will be more involved in strategic operations in the US, as well, to help build PQE across the US. I’m looking forward to being more present in the US and working closely with institutions and other organizations located there, and I’m really excited to meet many more people – employees, clients and partners; I am confident that these collaborations will bring greater success to all of us.
How do you think this role will challenge you and help you grow?
Believe me, I am continually challenged – in a good way – because PQE is constantly growing, adding new clients, new employees, new partners, new services, and new innovative technologies and solutions. I strongly believe in maintaining the attitude to “never stop learning,” which is something that I always tell my team. There is an expression I’ve heard in the US from people who have told me they “sit on their laurels.” This essentially means that while they’ve done okay, they never made it to their goal, so they will just stay where they are. I never feel this way. I always appreciate identifying new opportunities; I believe that the moment you sit down and think you have learned everything you need to know you stop growing. There is always room for improvement. The more challenges, the more training, and the more learning – that is what helps us grow. Gilda, who has been in the pharmaceutical industry for a very long time, always tells me that what she loves about her job is that she learns something new every day! I find that so inspiring! Having the mindset of loving to learn something new, every day, will bring you far. I’m really excited about the future – for PQE, for all of its employees and of course, my amazing staff, for our clients and partners, and for myself! I see a great future ahead.
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