1. Tony Barroco,
CWO Operations Lead
Switzerland, EMEA
What advice would you give to someone setting out on a similar career path?
Not to focus too tightly on a particular role as this can make it very difficult to find a
good fit. Being too specific is actually short sighted and long term plans can restrict the
number of paths available. If you have some flexibility the world is open and many more
opportunities will come your way. I think it is less important to focus on a attaining a certain
title or function, rather the focus should be on what a person thinks they are good at and
what they will get pleasure from. By broadening the focus you open yourself up to new
industries, new functions and new ideas.
How did you get in to this industry?
As a result of many twists and turns! Initially I planned to become an English teacher but
became disillusioned with the industry during a stint of student teaching. It was apparent to
me that the teachers were not rewarded for performance and I found this unfair. So when I
finished my University degree I began my working career at a small consulting company in
the US where I was essentially an online private investigator! It was an interesting role which
exposed me to the business environment and dealing with clients and I stayed there for
around 3 years. After 9/11 the company began to struggle and I resigned in order to go back
to school and study full time for my MBA. I completed this in 2004 and was subsequently
lucky enough to get a position at Schering-Plough, marking the start of my career in sourcing.
I worked within their I.T. sourcing group for a couple of years and then at a couple of other
companies, again in similar functions. I had stayed in touch with a mentor from my time at
Schering-Plough who had moved to Switzerland and was working for Novartis. He contacted
me regarding an opportunity within his team and, with my then-fiancées approval; we took
the leap and moved! I worked at Novartis for 3 years and it was whilst rolling out the MSP I
eventually wound up at Kelly. Looking back to when I left university I didn’t ever see myself in
sourcing and I certainly didn’t foresee being where I am now.
What tips can you give others on building and sustaining
a professional network?
How have you remained positive, even
through the difficult times in your career?
Towards the middle of my time at Novartis I
had reached a bit of a lull. I had been in I.T.
sourcing for 6 years at that point and I felt
like what I was doing had become routine.
It wasn’t particularly challenging and I was
lacking motivation and unsure what was
next. I felt trapped in a job with seemingly
limited future prospects and in a country
where I didn’t speak the language; my first
reaction was to think of a way to return to
the U.S. But then I saw an opportunity within
Novartis for a special project I could drive.
So I got approval from my boss, cleared my
diary and got stuck in to making the project
happen. On this occasion I got myself out
of the lull by seeing an opportunity and
creating something from it.
What do you enjoy
outside of work?
I’m sort of a home-body, so when I get
home I like nothing more than to chill
out with the kids. My wife and I also try
to travel as much as we can and now that
our youngest son is a little older, we’re
making plans to visit Italy and France.
Outside of spending time with my family
I’m passionate
about
football
and love
to golf,
although
I now
tend to
play only
on holiday
as it’s an
expensive
pastime here in Switzerland.
This is My Story
Don’t burn any
bridges, it is a small
world and you never
know when you might
want to cross
a bridge again
Use tools such
as LinkedIn to
keep in touch
To build
a network you need
to demonstrate a certain
level of competence,
leaving no doubt
as to what you are
capable of
Don’t network
for networking’s
sake
Be selective -
it is impossible to stay
in touch with too many
people so try to maintain
a strong relationship
with a few key
influential people