Trans Ova Experience from Team Member Sanjeev Chaubal

Sanjeev Chaubal has been a part of the Trans Ova team for the past 15 years. Chaubal is a key building block to the Trans Ova IVF system. In addition to continuing the advancement of IVF tools, he also assists in running the IVF production labs and participates in the company’s research and development projects. He plays an integral part in expanding Trans Ova locations and the opening of new regional centers across the country. Over the past four years, he has been part of the team entrusted with international expansion of Trans Ova’s IVF business. Chaubal graciously shared a collection of his thoughts after completion of 15 years as a Trans Ova team member, and the impact that the company has had on his career.

Upon completion of 15 years at Trans Ova Genetics

‘Longevity in a job (organization)’ versus ‘hopping from job to job for a faster career growth’ is a longstanding debate. I guess, it depends on two things:

1. At what stage of your career you are.
2. How much of a good fit is the current organization for you.

In my case, I joined Trans Ova at the age of 46, with two degrees, 23 years of experience and some baggage from the past. So hopping jobs was not the best strategy for me. More importantly, in Trans Ova, I found the best possible fit for myself.

Not to say that the 15 years with Trans Ova has been all smooth sailing for me. I have had my share of frustrations, roadblocks, bumps, and even severe setbacks. But I have the mentality of a stock market investor – you must absorb the short-term setbacks and continue to keep doing your job for the long-term gains.

If you are in the field of animal reproductive biotechnology, I would say, it is hard to find a better organization than Trans Ova. It has a good mix of commercialization and industrial research. To these, when you add good old hard work, integrity, and client interest at the heart of your operation – it is difficult to beat that combination. It has a solid foundation of 40+ years and it has a giant umbrella of URUS on the head. It is a leading player in the field, and in the years to come its leadership position is going to get stronger. Domestically, Trans Ova has reached the ‘flywheel’ stage and is set to capture an even bigger slice of the pie with every passing year. To me, Trans Ova seems to be one of the few companies that is destined to go from ‘good to great’. As it moves into the international arena, it is going to leave a blazing trail, the same way it has done domestically. If one considers the synergy among the URUS family companies, Trans Ova is in an enviable position to enter any international market with strong companies like Alta, Genex, PEAK, SCCL, and others as its wingmen. Together these companies can offer a product and service range that is unmatched in the industry – and that is going to be the recipe for success in the future.

So, if you are a 20 or 30 something year old and have been a Trans Ova team member for a couple of years, consider yourself fortunate. I would urge you not to fritter away this opportunity for the sake of a better paycheck or a cushier job. There may be hardships, long hours, frustrations, some frictions, …. but the successes, satisfaction, opportunities, and progress will almost always outweigh them. If you have the commitment, drive, and a sense of purpose in life, I strongly believe that Trans Ova will provide you the right vehicle to reach your destination.

If a city boy from a third world country with a completely different cultural upbringing and with no animal agriculture background can come to United States at the ripe old age of 38, spend the next five years working on his PhD with a student’s stipend to run the family, joins Trans Ova at 46, and carves out a modest career for himself – then believe me, you have a lot fewer hoops to jump through.

As I enter the final stretch of my career, besides being a foot soldier in the trenches daily, I have become more of an advisor, a facilitator, a mentor, a guide, a cheerleader, and a philosopher. I would like to dedicate the next five years of my career to developing as many labs, projects, and success stories as possible, domestically as well as internationally. These are more tangible goals which can be measured in numbers and dollar signs. But equally or more important are the intangible achievements like developing human capital. I am here to help anybody and everybody in whichever way I can push them on their career path. The fun part of working with teammates that are 30-40 years your junior is – they keep you humble and on your toes with their energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity. To keep things interesting, I like to engage in ‘reverse mentoring’ where the youngsters teach me to navigate through the latest technology.

I still nurture the dream of helping the poor and hungry in the developing world (where I come from) through technology. I still struggle with the dilemma of ‘providing cutting edge but expensive technology to the rich in the developed world’ versus ‘providing the less fancy, inexpensive tools to the marginalized ones in the developing world’. I wish it was not mutually exclusive and we could somehow serve both sets of clients. I do feel a strong obligation to the less privileged ones and feel that it is still not too late to devote part of my life to their cause.

After all these years, I still encounter days when I consider myself an ‘outsider’, ask myself ‘do I really belong here’ and wonder ‘what am I doing here’. But then when I look into the rear-view mirror and look at the road ahead, I cannot imagine being in any other place.

I consider myself blessed to be able to work in such a great organization and with such a fantastic team.