How a Kelley MBA Student Went from Running a GlaxoSmithKline 5K to their Associate Brand Management Intern
Marketing Strategy | Product Marketing | Creative Videography, Photography and Film Production
Jonathan Amos is yet another talented young professional propelling his career with the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Master of Business Administration (MBA) full-time program and PLUS Life Sciences Academy. Jonathan, a Texas native, is the youngest of four brothers and the last brother to pursue his MBA.
With a background in auditing, accounting and consulting, Jonathan discovered his interest and passion in the healthcare industry when he had a position at Novartis:
“Novartis cultivated my values, helping me realize what’s truly important to me. Working in a healthcare-focused company, I realized the culture was heavily rooted with compassion for the consumer. I truly understood the impact I provided being able to change lives on a daily basis through the initiatives I promoted within my role.”
While at Novartis, Jonathan had the opportunity to discuss spending trends and learn different areas of the business during company board meetings. He became excited by the profit-driven and competitive nature of marketing. That is when he decided to get his MBA in marketing and entrepreneurship to make a career transition. He said, “during my career transition, my focus will be to communicate innovative marketing solutions in the healthcare space by championing creativity and collaboration.”
Since joining the Kelley MBA program, Jonathan has been an active participant in the PLUS Life Sciences Academy and Healthcare Club. Jonathan felt that PLUS Life Sciences laid the foundation for his understanding of the healthcare space, and, unsurprisingly, he was voted to be the Vice President of the Healthcare Club for the 2019 through 2020 school year.
In one year, Kelley has also helped Jonathan build his marketing acumen through the Consumer Marketing Academy and his marketing strategy consulting projects with Procter & Gamble and SMAid International. When asked about his goals, Jonathan shared,
“Post-MBA, my goal is to take on a marketing strategy role, where I will utilize the skills I have fostered through my time in consulting, healthcare and while at Kelley to understand and connect with people, to facilitate multi-functional growth and to drive meaningful change in my organization, industry and community.”
Photo Description: Jonathan Amos’ first-ever 5K race was the GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Commercial Planning Meeting in Orlando, Florida.
These combined experiences spurred his interest in brand management and helped him land his summer internship during a Consortium for Graduate Study in Management orientation program as an Associate Brand Manager MBA Intern for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Warren, New Jersey. IU has been a member of the Consortium since 1966, and Jonathan was awarded a Consortium Fellowship to attend Kelley. GSK was a company Jonathan had initially gotten to know through his first-ever 5K race, which he did at the GSK Consumer Healthcare Commercial Planning Meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Jonathan shared some insight on his GSK internship he started at the end of May.
“GSK has plenty of great brands to work with such as TUMS, Excedrin, Sensodyne, Flonase and Nicorette. I believe working with these brands will grow my skillset in the healthcare industry. As a brand manager, I work cross functionally, and I have learned the importance of effectively communicating to bring a quality product to market. Being able to incorporate past learnings in my work from team-based school projects and academy lectures has helped tremendously.”
Jonathan also gave us his experience with the company culture.
“All interactions with the recruiting team and employees were organic, and they consistently checked in with me throughout the school year. I choose GSK because I felt that it was a company where I could be my authentic self. The aspect that surprised me most was how flat the organization is. I have close visibility to the Chief Marketing Officer. They promote transparency and have allowed me to understand how organization decisions are made and the data that is used to support those decisions.”
“I believe the consumer healthcare products segment is unique because it allows me to directly interact with the consumer–understanding their needs and behavior. These products are cost effective for individuals that socioeconomically can’t afford the type of insurance that pays for prescriptions. Raising awareness for products that are effective and life changing is something that I take pride in.”
There are numerous leadership opportunities for MBA graduates looking to work in the healthcare space to make an impact, and healthcare is one of the fastest growing industries. Jonathan was able to share his perspective on how IU and the PLUS Life Sciences Academy helped him transition his career in healthcare, and it’s not too late to kickstart yours! Whether incoming MBA students are looking to participate in the Kelley Healthcare Club, go on the annual healthcare trek, complete The Washington Campus healthcare policy partner program or join the PLUS Life Sciences Academy, they will have a multitude of resources available to them to grow their career.
Learn more about the program, the executive certificate or join our LinkedIn group to hear the latest on how our students and alumni are making an impact in the life sciences and healthcare industries.
About the Kelley School of Business and the Center for the Business of Life Sciences:
The Indiana University (IU) Kelley School of Business has a unique program run by the Center for the Business of Life Sciences (CBLS) called the PLUS Life Sciences Academy, which allows MBA students to learn about the life sciences and healthcare industries through classroom discussions but also to take part in numerous interactions with professionals from companies like Eli Lilly and Company, Abbott Labs, Anthem, Zimmer Biomet, Mead Johnson Nutrition and more. Students can choose to complete certain course requirements to obtain a certificate of participation, and they also have opportunities to do hands-on consulting work for companies like Cook Medical and IU School of Medicine.
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