At Work With Amber Rogers.pdf

Q: What was your biggest break? 

One of my college professors invited me to join a medical communications company as an intern while I was still in school. It was a small company but that meant that I was immediately able to roll up my sleeves and dig into a wide range of programs and responsibilities. The experience provided a strong foundation from which I could quickly grow my career.

Q: What’s the best and/or worst part of your job? 

The best part of my job is the opportunity to build long-term trusting relationships with clients and internal teams and being able to enjoy the journey together. The worst is probably the necessary but less fulfilling administrative tasks. Don’t we all wish we could do the fun part all of the time?

Q: Who is the person you admire most in your area of work? 

For me that’s Adam Gelling, principal and chief strategy officer at Giant, because he is never satisfied with status quo. He challenges convention, asks questions and stays ahead of, or creates, new trends for our industry. He does it without ego, inspiring others to bring great ideas to the table in the service of our clients.

Q: What’s the view like from your office/work area? 

I can see San Francisco’s iconic Coit Tower from the window in my office—when I look up from my laptop and meetings long enough to enjoy the view.

Q: How long is a typical meeting with clients? 

One hour.

Q: Does your office have a favorite lunch and/or after-hours place? 

Hillstone—it’s a little corporate, but it’s right next door and the shortest walk from the office to grab a cocktail with other Giant team members. We go to Fog City, too, a nostalgic favorite among San Franciscans.

Q: Where did you go to college? Did it help you prepare for your career? 

I attended the school-within-a-school journalism program at Long Beach State in California. The faculty was made up of rotating “real-world” professionals who could impart recent experience and I left with both a portfolio and a job.

Q: What books are you reading? 

I am trying a trial of Amazon’s new “audible” app to listen to books on my iPhone speaker during my commute. Right now I’m listening to Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw, which Amazon suggested, apparently based on my past travel/foodie preferences.

Q: What was your greatest professional challenge? 

One of the biggest challenges I faced was early in my career when I planned and executed every aspect of a weeklong multivenue J&J event in Vienna, Austria, for 300 MDs from 29 countries. I was in my early 20s and had never been to Europe before that trip.

Q: Where will you be in five years? 

I’m excited to be involved now in the changing landscape of our business and look forward to the future as we continue to redefine what is possible in healthcare communications. I love the everyday variety and I hope to grow with Giant and be at the front of the pack with the great thinkers as the industry evolves.

Q: What are your favorite industry-related websites? Non-industry? 

LinkedIn is my main networking tool for industry websites. YouTube for all types of healthcare resources and competitive intel, along with MM&M, theheart.org, Café Pharma and Fierce Medical Devices. Outside work I love to look at anything travel related and I rely heavily on Amazon and Diapers.com to shop for my family during weird hours when I might actually have time.

Q: If you were to write a book, what would its title be?

Wanting (and Getting) It All: The Search for Balance in the Age of 24/7 Global Client Management and Toddler Parenting.