Passion and perseverance are drivers for a delightful, rewarding career
Mohammed Yehia is the Brand Lead for Women Health at Bayer Middle East. In his blog post, he tells us about maintaining an undying passion for his career and the challenges that brought him exactly where he needed to be.
I like to think of high school as the starting point where my ambition and extreme motivation to shine as an achiever developed. Getting the necessary grades to join the college of my dreams in Egypt was extremely stressful, given that my main interest growing up was never studying but playing sports. I was still able to use a competitive personality to my advantage, coming out at the top of my class and securing a spot at Ain Shams University’s Faculty of Pharmacy.
I became a pharmacist by education, maintaining a high GPA throughout my university years, but still had passions outside of my main study field, including sports and psychology. This interest in psychology was a gateway to my love for marketing.
By my third year of university, I was resolved in pursuing marketing as my life-long career, which is why I committed to finishing a challenging marketing program with only a 30–40 per cent pass rate within 18 months before officially graduating as a pharmacist in July 2010.
Unexpected changes can lead you right where you need to be
After years of intense study, I was excited to travel but, as luck would have it, an opportunity presented itself at Bayer. I had a good feeling, but the job opening came with one catch: I had to cancel my post-graduation trip to make it to the interview.
Being the first job interview in my life, I came quite unprepared but fueled with positivity. I was a fresh graduate with no experience, yet my interviewers (and lifelong mentors since) saw something in me. To this day, I am amazed at how I ended up completing my second-round interview and getting the job — all in the same day! Today, I can say that cancelling my post-graduation trip was one of the best last-minute decisions I have ever made.
One of my interviewers — Dr Gasser Yousry, DSM Egypt at the time — ended up playing a key role in my career and development. His words, that he was proud to have me as part of the team, had an immeasurable impact on a fresh graduate who felt like he had nothing to offer. It represented the first brick of loyalty that I laid down for the Bayer family. Having started as a medical representative to where I am today, I can say with confidence that his words represent the true essence of the Bayer’s culture: from support and motivation to undying respect and warmth.
Since that day, I have only ever interviewed at Bayer. I am living proof that all the growth you could want from your career can come from the same company — in my case, over the span of 12 years!
Challenges can often push you where you need to grow
As a medical representative, I faced my first challenge handling a price sensitive product and a wide geographical scope. But I was determined to achieve my targets and earn my keep. This took many sacrifices such as extending my work hours and coverage so I could double my KPIs. However, none of this would have been possible without the support of my senior team at Bayer, and I ended up as the national best achiever for Aspirin in 2011.
During my second year at Bayer as I got more accustomed to my role, I decided to further delve into my passion for marketing by joining a competitive MBA program, condensing a 2.5-year program into 18 months. I gave up weekends and pulled very long hours each day on campus. But with the support of two families, one at home and one at Bayer, I was able to graduate at the top of my class and get one step closer to my dream job.
In 2016, I found my moment in a Brand Manager opening, something I was working up to ever since joining Bayer. All my work and preparation over the years brought me to where I wanted to be. Sadly, just as I was waiting to hear back, the Egyptian currency devalued, and every known business sector was significantly hurt. My dream job, inches away, was no longer a possibility.
It was a dark time in my professional and personal life, and I could sense that my passion and commitment were put to the toughest test. But, in my Bayer family, I found extraordinary support that allowed me to pick myself up at my weakest moment and seek a new challenge during an era of digital transformation that was starting to change the world around me.
It was unsettling to move into the uncertain digital world, but that only confirmed to me that this was the right time to push myself out of my comfort zone. What started as necessity turned to comfort and, eventually, love, as I fully embraced my new skillset in digital marketing.
In 2018, the door of opportunity swung open again with the launch of Elevit, one of our top nutrition brands in Egypt, and I was chosen to be on the launch task force. With a commitment and drive to succeed, I finally earned the dream position I sought for so long as a brand manager.
The rest, as they say, is history. I got to drive breakthrough 360 campaigns for some of our strongest brands, applying all the knowledge and experience I had the privilege of earning over the years with close partnership with some of Bayer’s most talented people. I will always remain grateful to have worked on campaigns that were successful from a business and ROI standpoint, achieving KPIs that continue to be integral in our industry.
Your personal life can fuel your professional journey
A running theme in my life is that the personal has always driven the professional. My only sister is a pharmacist and has always been my role model, so it felt natural for me to follow in her footsteps. She is the reason why I pursued my degree in pharmacy.
I met my wife in college, and we got engaged shortly after I got my job at Bayer. Apart from her love and support, the greatest gift she ever gave me is Yehia Jr., my son who looks exactly like me.
To this day, movie night is a ritual for us regardless of how our schedules look. And, despite life’s twists and turns, I have never relinquished my passion for sports. If anything, my love for football, padel, and gymnastics has only grown throughout the years. Part of the reason for that might also be that I love to cook and eat in equal measure.
No influence is so powerful as that of the mother
Finally, my mother’s impact on my life cannot be stated in words. The values that she instilled in me early on in life is why I am, at my core, a family man. Any major decisions I have made in my career came after consulting her and she always reinforced my believe that no effort taken ever goes in vain. One way or another, in life’s unpredictable ways, our consistent efforts always pay off.
“Dream big, believe in yourself, be authentic and keep pushing forward!”
