A magic milestone: Sally’s 10-year #LucidLife workiversary

Our people define our culture and there is no better example of what we are striving to achieve than what Sally Ratcliffe, Scientific Director, Lucid Group, has demonstrated over the last 10 years. Sally’s dedication and passion for what she does is inspirational.

To mark Sally’s milestone 10-year workiversary we’ve been chatting to some of the people who have worked closely with Sally over the years – as well as Sally herself.

Frances O’Connor, Managing Partner, Lucid Group, commented, “Sally is one of those immovable pillars of Lucid, who, if you removed, I’d fear the house falling down! Over the years you have wowed clients and healthcare professionals galore with your can-do, dependable attitude and your ability to get right to the heart of a problem. Seeing some of the behaviour-change work you’ve been championing makes my heart sing as it feels really close to what we’re all about – I know you’ve been carrying this torch for a long time! Sally, you have friends aplenty all over Lucid and we’re all wishing you a happy 10-year anniversary and looking forward to celebrating in style with you when we can."

Here's what Sally had to say about her #LucidLife:

Where did your passion for science begin, and what brought you into medcomms and, eventually, Lucid?
My interest in science began as a child: I recall watching a TV programme where they analysed a ‘sample’ to identify the infection and thinking how cool that was! I studied biochemistry at uni – after post-grad I continued doing research and soon recognised that I wanted to work closer to the patient side. A colleague left the lab to work in pharma as a Clinical Research Associate (CRA); I followed with a role as a CRA at Wellcome and absolutely loved it. Fast-forward many years and three children later, I left GSK Medical Affairs to work as a freelance writer because it suited my lifestyle with three young boys. However, as the boys grew up, I realised that I wanted to be part of a company again and joined Lucid in 2011 as a Medical Writer.

What has kept you at Lucid for so long?
I joined Lucid at a time when I had three young boys, each attending different schools – that involved a fair amount of juggling! Lucid gave me the option of some shorter days so it was win–win! My reason for staying at Lucid is the people – so bright, so lovely and so much fun! I won’t deny that there have been challenging times (that’s agency life), but I feel very fortunate to have worked with a wonderful bunch and made such good friends.

What is your favourite memory from your time at Lucid?
My favourite memory has to be the Medical Writers’ room at Towers. It could go from being head-down complete silence to an outburst of hilarity – many happy memories.

What are you excited for about the future here at Lucid?
As an ‘oldie’ I have experienced the early Lucid culture and I’m really excited to see that Lucid culture and sense of community is back – I can’t wait to get back to the office to see everyone in person!

Dennis O’Brien, Lucid Group CEO, is also looking forward to celebrating Sally’s 10-year anniversary and commented, “Sally. What a journey. I feel emotional writing this. We’ve been through so much and done so much since you started. I remember the days working on ARENA together! You’ve played an enormous part in the Lucid journey over the last 10 years, from your contributions and laughs in the writing room, to the impact you’ve made on people’s lives with inflammatory diseases. You’ve also been an anchor to the people-side of Lucid, being a huge support to many, helping them to connect dots for clients and for our team. Always positive, always with a can-do attitude, you make everyone’s day a bit brighter. I personally love working with you and look forward to seeing you and celebrating very soon.”

From everyone at Lucid Group, happy 10-year work anniversary and a very big thank you for everything you do and are.