Julien Senac

global director, ivd at TÜV SÜD America

#FutureInYourHands – This motto properly describes how TÜV SÜD empowers its employees. It’s best to hear from TÜV SÜD executives and staff members what their personal experiences are working for TÜV SÜD.

Can you describe your role within the company?
I am the Director of the In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Global Focus team. IVD is considered a key market with strong potential in TÜV SÜD’s operations worldwide, so we want to accommodate the activity and the growth of the field, encompassing all regions. My role is to engage with all stakeholders and to coordinate activity, growth, and resources throughout the many different regions that TUV SUD covers, including America, in the domain of IVD.

How did you choose this career path?
My background is in biomedical research, with a Ph.D. in Molecular and Human Genetics. After more than a decade working at the bench, it was time to discover a new career, but still have an impact on people's lives. I found this new career in the field of Quality and Regulation of medical devices by joining a Notified Body, where I conducted audits and technical documentation reviews of numerous medical and in vitro diagnostic devices. By joining TUV SUD, a leading Notified Body, I further fulfill my passion for quality, safety, and regulation. It’s very rewarding to not only work with medical devices but also to approve devices to enter the market with state-of-the-art performances for the betterment of people's health.

What do you enjoy most about your job and working at TÜV SÜD?
Having a global role presents the opportunity to meet and interact with people from around the world. In a single week, I can be on a conference call with Japanese colleagues, attending a meeting with a client in San Diego, and discussing business development with colleagues in Germany. In this role, I can really experience One TÜV SÜD, our company’s way of working together from all over the globe. We learn from one another while sharing a common goal: to bring to market safe and valuable healthcare solutions. I think it’s a very unique opportunity to be in this position. I thoroughly enjoy working for a company that embraces such a multi-cultural environment and encourages opportunities to learn from each other, with a shared goal to bring to market safe and useful healthcare solutions. I also enjoy seeing the amount of growth TÜV SÜD has experienced, along with the development of our forward-thinking solutions as we continue to improve our work.

Are there challenges you've faced in your career that have taught you important lessons?
The most important lesson I learned throughout my career is to never give up. Any challenge can be overcome, and you can reach your objective if you maintain determination and perseverance. From my early years in biomedical research to the development of new processes for market, I experienced failure a few times, but I believe if you stay true to your goal and keep pushing forward, you will ultimately succeed.

What do you think the industry will look like 20 years from now?
Quality and safety is a major concern for people in all aspects of life, especially in medical and diagnostic devices. The demand for more safety and requirements will not decrease in the coming years, so in 20 years we will still partner with manufacturers of the medical industry to bring the best healthcare solutions to the market. Nonetheless, we will see major evolution in the globalization and harmonization of requirements worldwide. Two years ago, the Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP), which covers quality management system requirements for the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Brazil, is being adopted by more and more manufacturers every year. In 20 years, we will probably have more harmonized quality and regulatory programs between multiple jurisdictions.

Besides, in the coming two decades we will see cyber-security testing and services play a more prominent role in ensuring a high-level of data security, as the medical device industry is following the common trend to offer more product with connectivity capabilities in order to enhance patient care.

When not working, how do you spend your spare time?
I spend my spare time with family. I have a one-year-old son, so I really enjoy spending time with him, watching him discover and experience the world we live in. I am currently based in San Diego, which is a beautiful place to go hiking and reconnect with nature. I relax by watching movies and reading books. I’m also French, so I have a strong appreciation for a nice dinner.

Meet more of Our North American Employees

Employee Spotlight: Julien Senac

julien senac

global director, ivd at TÜV SÜD America

Meet more of Our North American Employees

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