Since 2014, the PTC office in Ireland has been the company’s international headquarters and a regional hub. With nine departments and more than 50 employees*, the cross-functional teams facilitate supply of PTC’s medicines across 50+ geographies, manage global quality operations and global pharmacovigilance activities as well as commercial sales and finances for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions. Many support functions are also based in the Dublin office, including patient engagement, regulatory affairs, IT and human resources, supporting PTC’s workforce across multiple regions.
The team’s expertise and efforts have been instrumental in driving innovation across the business, fostering international collaborations and making a positive impact in the local and global communities we serve.
As we celebrate the #PTCEurope10 jubilee, we asked our cross-functional teams to recall their proudest achievements and fondest memories of the last decade.
Quality Operations Team, led by Áine Hopkins, Vice President
“I was one of the first employees to be hired at the Irish office in January 2015 and it has been an exciting journey building the systems and organization to support global operations across clinical and commercial activities. My team and I oversee the quality of products manufactured, tested and distributed across global markets, from early-stage compounds for use in clinical trials, through regulatory approval and commercial launch. The main priority is to ensure that the patient will always receive safe, effective, quality drug products.
“In the last decade there have been many notable achievements. I was very fortunate to have played a role in the successful regulatory submission, approval and commercial launch of our innovative gene therapy for AADC deficiency, an ultra-rare disease. It is the first and only approved therapy in the world to be directly administered into the brain. This therapy has been life-changing for our patients and their families, and it is rewarding to see their progress when they share videos and pictures. It makes us proud to see how our work impacts lives, especially since in the rare disease space there are often no other treatments for these patients.”
Fun Fact: PTC International Ireland is PTC’s largest office outside of the U.S.
Finance Team, led by Kieran Carroll, Executive Director and John Martin, Head of EMEA Commercial Finance
“We both joined PTC in 2016 and have made many memories since then. As PTC has grown into a truly global company so has our finance function. We are now managing local, EMEA and APAC finance workstreams and processes for PTC, as well as supporting our commercial teams in the region.
“It has been incredibly rewarding to be part of the finance team’s integral role in PTC’s global growth story. When PTC acquired new companies, ventured into new markets and received approval for new therapies, we scaled up our capabilities and implemented new technologies to support the innovations and success of today.
While we predominantly work behind the scenes, we are blessed to be exposed to the realities and stories of patients every day. This gives us the drive to support the next generation of breakthroughs.”
Fun fact: Finance is the largest team in the Dublin office.
Human Resources Team, led by Patrice Thornton, Vice President
“I joined PTC in 2017 and I am immensely proud to lead a global team of HR professionals who support and foster careers dedicated to improving patients’ lives. It is tremendously rewarding and there is real meaning in the work. Our responsibilities span across 17+ countries in EMEA and APAC ranging from talent acquisition, business partnering, HR Operations, talent management and more.
“There is an incredible amount of innovation currently taking place in the STEM field, however there are still significant gender disparities. As a founder of the Women + International Network ERG (WIN+) at PTC, I am particularly proud of our work at PTC for fostering an inclusive culture where women are represented equally at all levels. More than half of our employees are women, and this representation extends up to the board of directors.
“We continue to invest in people and initiatives that are designed to foster inclusion, growth and a sense of belonging within our organization. Employees are empowered to maximize their talents in service of our mission. The future is bright for all individuals pursuing STEM careers.”
Fun fact: PTC International Ireland leadership is 60% female.
Melissa Kenny, PTC Ireland Company Director & Vice President of Finance Excellence
“I was delighted to join PTC in January 2021 given PTC’s reputation for being a patient focused company in the rare disease space.
The Global Finance Excellence team, based in Ireland and in the U.S., deliver standardized, optimized, end to end process solutions, across multi-disciplinary functions. We are constantly reviewing what we do to see how we can do it better.
“I am also one of the leaders for PTC’s Women + International Network ERG (WIN+) that empowers, supports and encourages members to assume leadership roles that create change within and beyond PTC.
“‘Going beyond’ is deeply ingrained in PTC’s ethos and we do this by helping local communities. I am particularly proud of our Ireland-based team for being actively involved in social, environmental, and outreach initiatives. In the last ten years we have supported more than ten causes.”
Fun fact: One of our team members cycled for six days and 761-kilometers to raise money for charity.
Supply Chain Team, led by Gabrielle White, Executive Director
“I joined PTC in September 2023 bringing over 20 years of Supply Chain experience and more than ten years leadership experience in the rare disease sector.
“I lead the International Supply Chain function with team members located in Dublin, Sao Paulo & Japan. We are a diverse team of six nationalities, highly skilled experts, dedicated to finding solutions to ensure a patient never goes without supply of their life transforming medication. We supply medicines to patients in more than 50 countries worldwide.
“In the brief period since I’ve joined PTC, I’ve been deeply impressed by the organization’s powerful patient-centric culture. There’s a palpable entrepreneurial spirit that is dedicated to driving innovation in the field of rare diseases. I’m energized by our team’s passion for pushing boundaries and trying new things to drive progress for rare disease communities.”
Fun fact: In 2023, PTC won the Life Science Industry Ireland ‘Supply Chain Achievement Award’.
Read more and follow #PTCEurope10 on social media for updates throughout this year.
PTC Celebrates 10 Years of Impact in Europe
*Headcount as of April 2024.