We are the makers of possible: Customer-Centric. Servant Leader. Bird watching and more.

For the past four years at BD, Kristine (Kris) Jones has been leading the regional team selling Medication Delivery Solutions (MDS) products and services to healthcare professionals in hospitals – a role she has enjoyed immensely.

On Jan 1, 2024, she was promoted to the new role of Commercial Leader, and is now responsible for initiating, and driving and recommending strategic insights and direction.  This includes business development, local marketing, market access, distribution, pricing, tendering and contracting, and events management for the MDS business in the UK and Ireland. And to say she is excited would be an understatement.

“I’m beyond thrilled for this new opportunity for me and the team I lead. With this new structure in place, it will enable us to be even more customer-centric in our efforts overall,” she explained. “I’m feeling that little buzz of energy that comes from taking on something new and knowing it’s going to allow our workflows and the way we work to be even more effective and efficient.”

Selling through the Pandemic

As Kris was joining BD in the fall 2019, little did she or many of us realize just how impacted our work would be as the world began to shut down in winter 2020 due to Covid. But as someone with a positive outlook, Kristine looked at it as the opportunity to think differently about how to build relationships with customers. 

“I’m the type of person who never quits and never takes ‘no’ for an answer so for me, it really forced us to look at how to connect with customers. We had never done much selling virtually, so it was a challenge, but one that ultimately has made our entire selling approach that much stronger as a result,” Kristine explained. “When your customer is treating patients and only has a few moments to chat with you, you learn to get to your point very quickly.”

Embraces Servant Leadership

Kris’ promotion to her new role and managing the new functions has also reinforced her desire to be the best possible Servant Leader.

“As my nan (grandma) used to tell me you employ adults, so treat them as such, which is something I’ve always believed. I look to empower my team, not micromanage them,” Kristine noted. Another area Kristine is passionate about is supporting the company’s decision-making model and ingraining it across the commercial organization.

A Culture Like No Other

Having spent time working at Roche and prior to that, the National Health Service (NHS), Kristine says she’s never felt more confident that she has a voice and is heard by her employer. “I can’t quite put a finger on previous roles, but I was always a bit reticent to speak up or share my perspective. But at BD, I’ve never felt scared about respectfully challenging and sharing my point-of-view, which is so refreshing. When I think about BD, the word ‘marvelous’ comes to mind easily and quickly. BD truly is a marvelous place to work for so many reasons.”

BD also maintains a culture of continuous learning, which is a great benefit to Kristine. “There is no way I can ever become an expert in everything, which is why I love getting educated on new things, different things and BD is great at supporting your learning and development. I love to chase all the learnings I can!”

CEO inspires Confidence and Career Learning

When Kristine worked at NHS in her late teens, she supported the CEO of the organization, who happened to be female. Kristine would often get a cup of tea for herself and the CEO as they typically both came into the office around the same time.

“I’m very interested in learning about female executives and leaders. I remember the CEO asked if she could get me a cup of tea one morning. I told her that I would get it as her assistant. And what she told me next has never left me: ‘If you only think of yourself as a little girl getting tea, then that is all you will ever be. Don’t ever put yourself down. You become what you imagine.’ I’ve never forgotten that experience and how it made me feel. It helped change what I thought I could do for a career. It taught me I had no limitations in what I wanted to do – only the limitations I put on myself,” Kristine said.

Bird watching and the gym help foster creativity

In her personal time, you might just find Kris and her fiancé at a local trail bird watching. It’s a hobby she has come to enjoy a lot. Her other hobby is more about personal care, so she now frequents the local gym to work out with a personal trainer.

“The solitude of the trail and tracking the various birds enables creative time that I usually don’t get sitting behind my laptop. I find I come up with some creative ideas for work. As for the gym, it’s a commitment I made to myself to start taking better care of myself,” Kristine concluded.