What It Does: AstraZeneca's areas of operations include oncology, biopharmaceuticals, IT, respiratory & immunology, cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic. This company specializes in the design and development of medical equipment and the production of drugs for various ailments.
Mission: The company’s mission is to transform the lives of billions of people living with chronic diseases.
Size and Presence: AstraZeneca’s workforce comprises hundreds of employees in Canada. Its main office is in Mississauga, Ontario.
Best Known For: AstraZeneca is best known for its involvement in developing the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. It's one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Last year, Waterstone Human Capital named AstraZeneca one of the world's most admired cultures.
The Good Bits: Numerous benefits come with employment at AstraZeneca. The work is meaningful. The work-life balance is good.
The Not-So-Good Bits: The work is hectic and may result in employee burnout. The pay is not on par with industry standards.
This company was established as Astra AB in Sweden in 1913. At the time of its establishment, the organization just had a workforce of 400 chemists and doctors. Twenty years later, ICI, a British Chemicals Firm, separated its pharmaceutical, specialty, and agrochemical operations to create Zeneca Group Plc. As the 20th century drew to an end, Astra entered into a merger agreement with Zeneca and created AstraZeneca. Its headquarters was in London. In 2002, the company made great strides as Iressa, one of its drugs was approved in Japan as monotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. Three years later, AstraZeneca purchased a British Biotechnology firm, KuDOS Pharmaceuticals.
Also, in that year, AstraZeneca entered into an anti-cancer partnership with Astex. In 2006, it purchased Cambridge Antibody Technology. In 2010, this firm ventured into antibiotics discovery by acquiring Novexel Corporation. The following year, AstraZeneca purchased Guangdong BeiKang Pharmaceutical Company. In early 2012, the company strengthened its position in biotechnology by acquiring Ardea Biosciences. Four years later, the firm moved its headquarters from London to Cambridge. The company also announced that it will lay off almost 4,000 workers. In 2020, its Covid-19 vaccine was approved in the UK.
AstraZeneca is a community of diverse but like-minded professionals bound by a set of core values: following the science, putting patients first, playing to win, doing the right thing, and being entrepreneurial. This company is made up of individuals with a genuine desire to help people and improve lives. The work is largely collaborative, so employees frequently join hands to complete the job. Despite the fast-paced environment, the company's support system makes the company a welcoming haven for freshers and interns. The organization is also largely inclusive, as everyone is treated equally and fairly regardless of race, sexuality, gender, religion, gender identity, or socioeconomic background.
AstraZeneca is one of a kind because it offers good career prospects to high school students, undergraduates, fresh graduates, and even postgraduates. Its High /Secondary School Student program gives high school students alternative educational training that allows them to work, gain hands-on experience and earn a living. The undergraduate program is designed to prepare university students for their preferred career roles and transform them into skilled professionals before they even graduate. AstraZeneca's graduate program targets holders of Bachelor's and Master's degrees. It allows them to build sustainable connections that will be invaluable to them in the long run. The postgraduate program is designed to aid the transition of medical academics to medical practitioners.
The company's hiring process includes an application review, presentation, individual or group interviews, and the final assessment. The applicants who complete the process will get a job offer.
An entry-level employee working at AstraZeneca pays its employees an average yearly salary of CA$ 85,000.
AstraZeneca's perks and incentives include healthcare, life insurance, long-term savings, and well-being programs.
AstraZeneca provides aid to local communities in Canada via grants, sponsorships, and several community initiatives.
Due to supply issues, certain provinces had to stop administering AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine.