Full name: Emilia Davis
Job Title: Business Development Executive
Joined Aubin In: 2016
After landing her first job out of University as a Product Development Chemist, Emilia Davis has gone on to become one of Aubin’s business development executives. With her experience of working in the labs, Emilia refers to her own personal experiences when assessing a client's requirements.
In this blog post, Emilia provides an insight into the life of a business development executive in comparison to working with the technical team, making the move to the Middle East to further develop relationships with clients, and how her experience can benefit Aubin’s clients.
1. Tell us about your role - what does it entail, and what does an average week look like for you?
“I currently work within the business development team, however when I first joined Aubin I worked in the lab as I wanted to expand on the skills I gained when studying Chemistry. I have a technical background, however as I honed in on my skills, I found that I really enjoyed working with customers and helping them find solutions to their problems - which is why I made the move into business development.
“One of the best things about my role is that I’m involved in the entire customer journey - from discussing technical problems and finding solutions to costing a job and providing general support.
“I like the fact that there’s an account management aspect to my role. Finding solutions and achieving results is always something I’m passionate about, so having the ability to provide an after sales service, gain feedback from clients and continue to build relationships means a lot to me.
“Having a technical background has been a massive advantage in my current role. Not only had I been in the lab for a number of years, I have also undertaken a masters degree at Aberdeen University which really set me in good stead for the work I do now.
“I’m able to use my knowledge and past experience when speaking to customers about a project, and can have top level discussions around their problems.”
2. What do you love most about your job?
“For me, the best part of my job is finding solutions for our clients. As experts in our field, we regularly provide a unique solution that will fix a specific problem.
“Because I have a technical background, I have the ability to work closely with the development team, meaning that I have the best of both worlds. I get to speak to customers and manage a project from start to finish, but I also get to work with the technical team to brainstorm ideas and help find solutions - an aspect of my job that I’ve always loved.”
3. How would you describe the role you’ve had working in the lab compared to working in the project management side of the business? What skills have you developed?
“When working in the lab, my main responsibility was project development, and a lot of my time was spent analysing a problem and finding different solutions. During this time I learned a lot about perseverance and the importance of attention to detail. Our solutions undergo multiple tests and are exposed to a variety of factors before they are sent to our client.
“The skills gained during my time in the lab has been instrumental in my success within the business development team. Since moving departments, the biggest skill that I have developed is communicating my points confidently. It’s one thing knowing that your product is perfect for your client’s project, but presenting to a team why this is the case requires a different set of skills.
“Now that I’m working with customers day in day out, I have the ability to see the bigger picture. As my experience grew, I found it easier to go in and communicate confidently with our clients.”
4. How was your experience of working in the Middle East?
“Working in the Middle East was a great experience on both a personal and professional level. As well as meeting new clients and building new relationships with technical teams, I was also exposed to a fascinating new culture and a different way of working.
“Life is more fast paced in the Middle East. Often customers will expect things instantly, which can be challenging, but this forced me to develop my communication and relationship management skills.”
5. What is your favourite product or project you have worked on, and why?
“Definitely AXI- Zone, just because it was so different to any other product on the market.
Being there from the beginning at the development stage, seeing the final product reach our clients and receiving positive feedback on the level of results has been extremely satisfying.”
6. What led you into the role you’re in today? What were you doing before this?
“I’ve always been interested in the technical side of things. I studied chemistry at university, which I loved, and when it came to finding a job after graduation I knew that I wanted to build on my experience. My degree provided a wide range of possibilities and I could have gone into anything, from making paint to creating synthetic bones, but my passion lies with chemicals.
“I was fortunate enough to join Aubin straight from university. Upon graduating I began the hunt for my next steps and felt uninspired. Often entry level roles are for lab technicians and your experience in product development is minimal until you reach a more senior level. But at Aubin we’re one big team - and this made it the perfect first role for me. Working together, we rely on each other's experiences and utilise the different strengths within the team to create innovative solutions, rather than offering our clients an off the shelf product.”
7. What is it like working at Aubin?
“We’re a really close, supportive team. We quite often bounce ideas off of each other and it is always a safe space. There are no stupid questions, or even stupid answers. Even if your suggestion is wrong, it could spark an idea in someone else's mind and help contribute towards finding a solution.
“We share ideas and provide solutions, even if it’s outside our own department. It’s not often that a member of the sales team has the ability to recommend solutions or provide ideas to the technical teams, as teams tend to work in silos. But at Aubin, we are given the support and opportunity to make it happen.”
8. What do you think makes Aubin successful?
“Our innovative approach to product development. We listen to our customers, assess their requirements and provide a solution that is tailored to their needs. We’re recognised as experts in our field which makes it easy for clients to trust our recommendations.”
