Meet the Team: Aleksas Kremenskas
Aleksas Kremenskas is a Senior Recruitment Consultant within the Contracts team of Berkley’s Life Science & Engineering Division. In this interview, he tells us all about his career story so far.
Aleksas joined Berkley in 2018; fast forward four years and he has become an integral part of our Life Science & Engineering team. Armed with an academic qualification in Electrical & Instrumentation Engineering, Aleksas specialises in contract roles within the booming pharmaceutical sector. From our conversation, it is clear that he enjoys the detailed nature of the work. “For me, pharma is one of the most interesting areas in today’s market. I enjoy learning from candidates, clients and co-workers about the latest innovations and developments.”
What’s the Pharma Market Like Today?
Aleksas’ outlook on the Irish pharmaceutical sector is very positive. “In the past year, I can see that Ireland’s pharmaceutical sector is perhaps the busiest in Europe in terms of hiring.” This is hardly surprising given that Ireland is now the largest net exporter of pharmaceuticals in the EU. In March 2020, Irish exports hit a record high of €15.7 billion as demand for pharmaceutical products surged.
Aleksas explains that the continued success of Ireland’s pharma sector has driven up demand for qualified and experienced life science and engineering professionals. One way organisations are overcoming this talent shortage is by contracting specialised professionals on a project-by-project basis.
From Retailer to Recruiter
Before working in recruitment, Aleksas honed his management and sales skills in retail. After many years, however, he made the “spontaneous” decision to switch industries. “I wanted to try something completely new. In the end, it was definitely the right decision for me.”
Having worked for many years in the complementary worlds of retail and recruitment, it seems that Aleksas has always had a taste for working with people. “One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was ‘people work for people.’ No matter what job you have, nothing really changes when you’re dealing with people.” He maintains that this customer-focused background helped to set him up for a successful transition into his recruitment career. “Retail and recruitment are very similar. They’re all about communication and people skills.”
What About Outside of Work?
Unsurprisingly, Aleksas’ taste for teamwork and competition is rooted in sports. “In the past, I was a professional basketball player and a pro referee in the Irish Basketball League. Today, I focus my spare hours on getting proper quality time with my kids.”
