Blog

Name:   Iryna Dekhtiar
Title:    Senior Change and Performance Consultant 
Organization:    Bayer
Sector:   Life Science

1)      Can you briefly help us understand your current role?

I am an in-house consultant at Bayer, specializing in change management. All of my work is project based. As of January through the end of September 2020, I am working as a Change and Communication Lead for a system integration project at Bayer Crop Science organization here in the United States. I have a background in human resources, but the projects I work on can be in any function. For example, the current project I’m working on is with our supply chain organization.

2)     How did you get started in project management?

I started getting involved in project management in the beginning of my career in 2005 in Ukraine.

3)      What three words best describe you?

Goal-oriented, team player, cosmopolitan

4)      What has been the most exciting project you’ve worked on?

The launch of the new global performance approach at Bayer in 2018-2019. This project had a combination of my 2 favorite topics – people development and change management. The experience I gained from this project led me to my current role with the Bayer global team of change and performance consultants. These aren’t the only exciting things connected to this project, there were many more. I would say it was a once in a lifetime experience for an HR professional to participate in the creation and launch of such an approach with the global scope. The most exciting aspect of this project was the people I met - amazing, highly professional people with different backgrounds from all over the world. We learned from each other, had a lot of fun together and I still keep in touch with some of them.

5)      How has project management been important to your organization?

Extremely important. To keep up with the rapid pace of changes in modern life, efficient project management is one of the success factors for any organization, especially a global one.

6)      What is one fun fact we should know about you?

I collect driver’s licenses. At this point in my life, I’ve lived in 3 countries – Ukraine, Germany and the United States. With each move, I had to get a new driver’s license, which means I had to learn and pass the theoretical and practical tests.

7)      What historical project do you wish you could have worked on?

I did and still do, the Bayer-Monsanto merger. My involvement in the projects related to the merger started before it was finalized, and my current project is also related to this merger. We are working on systems integration for the supply change organization at Bayer and Monsanto as One Company. It is another “once in a life experience” I was lucky to obtain – to work on one of the biggest acquisitions in the history of the business.

8)    What is most rewarding about working on projects?

First: Meeting new people with diverse backgrounds and learning from them. Second: Project management is the best way to get self-organized. And there is no limitation to master this skill.