Young Ambassador 2022

Meet Izzy Sloan

Izzy currently works as a second year Chemical Engineering Degree Apprentice at GSK in Ulverston and Barnard Castle; she facilitates the manufacturing of antibiotics that help patients worldwide. Izzy’s day-to-day job predominantly involves helping solve problems that prevent GSK’s primary and secondary manufacturing sites from functioning safely and efficiently. Izzy is working towards her bachelor’s degree on day release with the University of Strathclyde, which is consistently developing her technical skills and transferable skills, improving her capability and performance at work.

Prioritising her university work, Izzy always ensures assignments are completed on time and to the best of her ability. This is highlighted through Izzy being placed on the Faculty of Engineering’s Dean’s List for her academic achievement during the first year of her degree. Being able to work towards her degree whilst gaining 5 years of work experience through GSK, Izzy has become aware of the endless opportunities this career pathway offers and enjoys sharing this with others to hopefully inspire them.

Among her university studies, Izzy takes on every work opportunity that comes her way. Moving away from home to take on her apprenticeship, Izzy is keen to move across the GSK network to broaden her knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry. She has recently discovered an interest in Process Safety through her most recent degree module and various involvement at work. This led her to attend a Process Safety course at another site in the GSK network to broaden her understanding and enable her to apply the principles learned to her own site. It is unique opportunities like these that Izzy endeavours to experience throughout her apprenticeship.

Alongside work and university learning, a passion of Izzy’s is to consistently inform and inspire others to become involved in the Chemical Industry. Izzy has been involved in a multitude of STEM related events within the past two years reaching over 1000 people. These events have targeted a variety of demographics from Chemical Industry employer panels, to hosting work experience students, to influencing other GSK senior managers to take on more degree apprentices. Izzy hopes within the role of CIA Young Ambassador, she can utilise the platform to increase the growth of the Chemical Industry young talent and develop the young talent already present.

Izzy recognises that although she is only very early on in her career, she is still extremely aware of the importance of the chemical industry from a local to a worldwide basis. She has always had the aspiration of contributing to meaningful change in the world. On a small-scale, she is already beginning to fulfil this aspiration. Izzy now hopes leading ChemTalent as the CIA Young Ambassador will help her begin to fulfil this aspiration on a much larger scale. Izzy wants to focus ChemTalent on using the members inexperience as a strength to inspire others to join the industry and hopefully encourage more experienced people in the industry to listen to their voices.