Added: 15th January 2024 by Cytiva
Adventure should play a role in everyone’s lives, and if you are doing it right you should have adventure in your work. Shruthi Arul’s career has taken her across the globe, across her industry, and across different functions at Cytiva. If anyone knows how to tackle a challenge as an adventure, it’s Shruthi.
I’ve done a lot since my career began. From being in the same company for 10 years, making the “MBA triple jump”, moving country, industry, function while my husband, two kids, and I lived in Switzerland, Dubai and India respectively for one whole year it’s been busy to say the least.
Landing a job at the Danaher GMDP program has been nothing short of an adventure for me. In terms of giving me a platform to build critical competencies, be an effective business leader, as well as immersing myself within a culture of people who were always willing to help, the program ticked the box in many ways for me.
I joined Pall last year as a DBS Leader focusing on Operations and shortly after moved to Cytiva as a DBS Leader focusing on Innovation. DBS is at the heart of everything at Danaher, it’s not only a set of tools to run business more efficiently but also a culture that makes it work. In short, DBS is common sense rigorously applied!
During my last year at the Danaher GMDP Program, I have had exciting hands-on experience solving crucial business problems as a DBSL (Danaher Business Systems Leader). The time I spent at Pall and Cytiva so far has been both challenging in terms of opportunities and comforting in terms of the people, culture, and the work life balance.
DBS to me has been a way of learning to do business smarter. I was presented with a challenge in Operations and – aside from interactions with key strategic customers to manage their demand as well as visiting the factories overseeing the improvements in supply – what I liked most was the direct impact it had on the production of filters used in COVID-19 vaccines. This impact is the reason for DBS – helping realise the life’s potential.
In my current role as an Innovation DBSL, I partner with our Chief Technology Officer and the Business Unit VP to support the Strategy to achieve our innovation goal in addition to building the DBS culture in our Operating Company.
On a personal side, I have relocated five times in the last two years with my two young kids, which can be overwhelming. I could sail through this stressful phase with the least pressure and complete support from both my managers as well as my colleagues who were always a chat away whenever/whatever help was needed. Icing on the cake has been the opportunity to participate in eight events across five countries. Interacting with Swedes over fika and the Brits over an English breakfast about their culture, food, and people is a favourite bit of my career.
I couldn’t have asked for more and the program has fully lived up to my expectations and I am very glad that I chose Danaher, leaving aside my 10-year tech career at IBM and other lucrative opportunities that I was presented with after my MBA at IMD Business School, Switzerland.
It has been an adventure, and I would not have it any other way.
