In this episode, Christa Downey speaks with Charles “Chaz” Calitri ‘81, Vice President of Operations at Kyowa Kirin North America. Chaz reflects on his 40-year career in pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering—from leading Pfizer’s efforts to produce the COVID-19 vaccine to overseeing the construction of Kyowa Kirin’s first U.S. biomanufacturing facility. He shares insights on leadership, mentorship, and the importance of empathy, global experience, and technical depth in engineering. Chaz also discusses the evolving role of AI in pharma, the impact of collaboration in solving complex problems, and his belief that “time is life” when it comes to innovation that improves human health.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Simpkins Family COMPASS Program: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/selander-center-engineering-leadership/simpkins-family-compass-program/
International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering: https://ispe.org/
Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1
Editor: Melissa Bazley
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In this episode, Christa Downey speaks with Charles “Chaz” Calitri ‘81, Vice President of Operations at Kyowa Kirin North America. Chaz reflects on his 40-year career in pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering—from leading Pfizer’s efforts to produce the COVID-19 vaccine to overseeing the construction of Kyowa Kirin’s first U.S. biomanufacturing facility. He shares insights on leadership, mentorship, and the importance of empathy, global experience, and technical depth in engineering. Chaz also discusses the evolving role of AI in pharma, the impact of collaboration in solving complex problems, and his belief that “time is life” when it comes to innovation that improves human health.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Simpkins Family COMPASS Program: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/selander-center-engineering-leadership/simpkins-family-compass-program/
International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering: https://ispe.org/
Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1
Editor: Melissa Bazley
Renewable Energy, Mentorship, and Global Impact with Tamir Lance ‘04, M.Eng. ‘05
Cornell Engineering Career Conversations
52 minutes 1 second
1 year ago
Renewable Energy, Mentorship, and Global Impact with Tamir Lance ‘04, M.Eng. ‘05
Tamir Lance ‘04, ‘05, a senior engineering manager at Maxeon Solar, discusses his career path in the renewable energy industry and his role working with teams around the world. He highlights the significance of mentoring young engineers and fostering their career development through hands-on training and individualized growth plans. Tamir also speaks to the importance of working for companies that prioritize sustainability and ethical practices, such as Maxeon’s commitment to ESG principles.
Tamir can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamir-lance-a2a2765/
He recommends:
“Cornell Career Services both the central office and the engineering specific office especially a shout out to Craig Jones there. It was a really influential organization on me during my time at Cornell and early career.”
Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1
Editor: Melissa Bazley
Cornell Engineering Career Conversations
In this episode, Christa Downey speaks with Charles “Chaz” Calitri ‘81, Vice President of Operations at Kyowa Kirin North America. Chaz reflects on his 40-year career in pharmaceutical manufacturing and engineering—from leading Pfizer’s efforts to produce the COVID-19 vaccine to overseeing the construction of Kyowa Kirin’s first U.S. biomanufacturing facility. He shares insights on leadership, mentorship, and the importance of empathy, global experience, and technical depth in engineering. Chaz also discusses the evolving role of AI in pharma, the impact of collaboration in solving complex problems, and his belief that “time is life” when it comes to innovation that improves human health.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Simpkins Family COMPASS Program: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/selander-center-engineering-leadership/simpkins-family-compass-program/
International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering: https://ispe.org/
Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1
Editor: Melissa Bazley
