2021 Year in Review: Tom Struble, Director of Commissioning, Qualification & Validation, DPS Group

What are your predictions for your industry in 2022? 2022 is going to be a whirlwind. Recent roll-outs of vaccines set a new standard for speed to market, and there’s more work in life sciences than I’ve ever seen. I think there will be unprecedented growth with younger companies as they swiftly raise capital and catapult to success. As we have seen with mRNA vaccines, innovation is key and embraced by society. I think there will be a novel therapies race the likes of which humanity has never seen. Competition will drive more innovation. It’s an exciting time to be in the life sciences industry!

What is the best advice you have received, and who was it from? The best advice I received was from my last boss in the Navy while working on nuclear submarines. “You’ll stay at work late to fix a broken turbine, but not to train on the neutron life cycle.” What this means is prioritize training and team culture; the day-to-day work will always get done… because it has to! It stuck with me, and I try to apply it with my team. I work to make the team building exercises, the training, and the manager outreach happen.

The intangibles build camaraderie and drive professional development, and they should be prioritized.

What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021? I would say that as director of CQV at DPS, our department’s greatest accomplishment of 2021 is our team’s continued success. In the past 12 months we have had to grow rapidly to meet the needs of our clients in response to several substantial projects. In doing so, we have not compromised on the caliber of team members, and these project wins are a testament to the professionalism and expertise our team brings to the field. While 2020 certainly had its challenges, our strong foothold in 2021 is only the beginning and I look forward to 2022.