Professional Profile: Sarah Stevens

Lab Design spoke to Sarah Stevens, Ph.D., the president of Azzur Labs & Azzur Cleanrooms on Demand™. Sarah has 20 years of industry experience, most recently serving as the Senior Vice President and Head of Early Development Quotient Sciences. She’s also held senior leadership roles spanning services across all drug development and manufacturing phases. Sarah holds a Doctorate of Pharmaceutics from the University of Manchester (Manchester, UK), as well as a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Pharmacy from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, UK). 

Q: How did you get started in your career? Did you major in your field in college, get an internship, switch careers mid-stream, etc.?

A: I was a bit of a late starter, but I came to study Pharmacy and then received a Ph.D. because I was fascinated by medicine development and the opportunity to do a wide range of things that this education provided. I did not spend long as a bench scientist, however. I quickly found my place in roles that allowed me to bring diverse people together at a technical, commercial, and financial intersection to achieve success in the development process for medicines and strong business results.

Q: If you weren’t in this profession, what job would you like to have instead?

A: I grew up wanting to be a marine biologist simply because of an obsession with dolphins. I still love them today!

Q: What is the best piece of professional advice you have received?

A: I have been lucky to have learned so much from many different people. A key theme that holds true regardless of the role is the importance of recognizing that the skills that “got you here” may not be those that “get you there.”

I value very much a bias to action. With that, though, other wise words that stick with me are the importance of knowing when to “slow down to speed up.”

Q: If you could teleport to any destination in the world, where would you go?

A: It would be to the beautiful west coast of Scotland – but only if there was a “no-rain-and-blue-skies” guarantee.

Q: What kinds of hobbies or interests do you have outside of work?

A: I am kept very busy with the hobbies and interests of my young kids: karate, soccer, rehearsing for many performances, etc. It is also important to me, however, that I prioritize working out and walking my dogs for my own health and well-being.