Louise Littlefair

2013 Saltire Scholar

An Internship That Opened the Door to a Global Career at GSK

Degree: BSc (Hons) Biochemistry University of Aberdeen
2013 · Internship: External Supply Intern Global Manufacturing and Supply,
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), London
Now: Programme Director for Tech Transfers GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), London

Discovering Saltire Scholars

Louise Littlefair was studying Biochemistry at the University of Aberdeen when she began to see the wider opportunities her degree could offer. While her studies gave her a strong scientific foundation, she wanted to explore the business side of the industry but wasn’t sure how to make that transition.

When she came across the Saltire Scholars Programme at a university event, it immediately stood out as an opportunity to go beyond her degree and explore a wider range of career paths. With access to internships across different sectors and roles, the programme gave Louise the chance to gain real-world experience and better understand where her interests could take her.

Through the programme, she secured an internship with GSK in London - a role that combined her scientific background with exposure to a global business environment.

What followed was not just a summer internship, but the starting point of a long-term career at GSK - one that has since taken her across roles, functions, and countries, shaping the direction of her career in ways she couldn’t have anticipated at the time.

Louise at graduation from the University of Aberdeen.

Louise in a manufacturing setting — Louise’s career at GSK has taken her across manufacturing and supply chain.

Louise working in supply chain — Louise’s career at GSK has taken her across manufacturing and supply chain.

The Internship

Louise spent her Saltire internship at GSK in London as an External Supply Intern within Global Manufacturing and Supply, gaining exposure to the complex, global operations behind pharmaceutical manufacturing. The role offered exactly what she had been looking for - a way to apply her scientific background within a commercial, business-led environment.

Her internship was broad, hands-on, and deeply immersive. Rather than focusing on a single project, Louise worked across a range of initiatives during a period of organisational transformation. She supported capability and training programmes, contributed to internal communications and leadership engagement, and developed practical resources including training materials and a new starter pack for the team. Alongside this, she was invited into business-critical meetings, giving her early insight into how global supply chains operate and how external manufacturing partnerships are managed at scale.

What stood out most was the level of exposure and trust she was given. Louise was not only able to contribute to meaningful work, but also to learn directly from experienced professionals across the organisation. Combined with the experience of living and working in London for the first time, the internship accelerated her confidence, independence, and understanding of what a career in a global business could look like.

Building a Decade-Long Career at GSK

After graduating, Louise returned to GSK in a full-time role - a decision that would define the next decade of her career. What began as a single internship quickly evolved into a long-term career across one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Over the years, Louise has moved through a wide range of roles across supply chain, procurement, audit, external manufacturing and strategy, building a breadth of experience that is both unusual and highly valuable. Her career has taken her far beyond the role she first stepped into as a student. She has worked with global suppliers across the United States and India, managed key raw materials for major consumer healthcare products, and contributed to large-scale operational and strategic projects within GSK.

Louise during a GSK visit in Slovakia — Louise in Slovakia during her career at GSK.

Louise celebrating ten years at GSK with colleagues on a Zoom call — Celebrating ten years at GSK with colleagues.

Louise alongside freezer equipment — Louise’s career has taken her into a range of operational environments.

Along the way, she has also taken on opportunities that extended well beyond the traditional corporate path. A standout experience was her Pulse assignment in Tanzania, where she spent several months working with Amref Health Africa - an experience she describes as life-changing. Later, her role in external manufacturing took her to Philadelphia, where she relocated with GSK and led projects supporting the delivery of critical medicines, gaining first-hand experience of global supply chains and international working.

Today, Louise is Project Director of Tech Transfer at GSK, where she leads a team responsible for managing major technology transfers from GSK’s internal manufacturing sites to external manufacturing partners. Overseeing both the technical and financial aspects of these complex projects, she ensures they are delivered successfully, on time and within budget. Her role combines strategic project leadership with people management, guiding a high-performing team through critical developments in GSK’s global manufacturing operations.

Louise during her PULSE assignment in Tanzania, working with Amref Health Africa.

A Life-Changing Impact

For Louise, the impact of the Saltire Scholars Programme is impossible to separate from the career she has built since.

The experience gave her confidence, independence, and a level of maturity that carried into her final year at university and beyond. It introduced her to a professional environment she had never experienced before and helped her realise that she not only enjoyed working in a corporate setting, but that she could build a career within it.

Crucially, it also exposed her to a wide network of people across the organisation. Through her internship, Louise met and worked alongside a number of senior leaders - including strong female role models - whose careers helped shape her understanding of what was possible. That early exposure to leadership, and to different career paths within the organisation, played an important role in building both her ambition and long-term direction.

More than anything, it accelerated her trajectory. It gave her access to opportunities, networks, and experiences that would have taken years, if not longer, to find otherwise. From her first role in London to international assignments and leadership positions, each step can be traced back to that initial opportunity to step outside her comfort zone.

“I think there’s only a few decisions in your life that really change the direction of your life and going to that internship event in Aberdeen University is one of those life-directing events. If I hadn’t been a Saltire Scholar, I would never be in GSK. I’m pretty sure about that. I wouldn’t have met half of my friends or my partner who also works at GSK. Where I have lived in my life has also been shaped by the company. It’s hard to really quantify or put into words the impact the programme has had on my life and career.”
- Louise Littlefair

Louise Littlefair with GSK interns — Louise with the 2026 cohort of GSK Saltire Scholar Interns in London, supporting the next generation of Saltire Scholars.

Giving Back to the Next Generation of Saltire Scholars

More than a decade on, Louise’s story has come full circle.

Now based in London, she is an active member of Entrepreneurial Scotland’s London Advisory Group and is directly involved in helping to create new Saltire internship opportunities within the UK capital and GSK. Having experienced the impact of the programme first-hand, she is passionate about ensuring others have access to the same kind of opportunity that shaped her own path.

“For the interns, it’s a life-changing opportunity and for host companies, it’s a way to bring in fresh ideas, new talent, new perspective. I’m incredibly proud to sit on the London Advisory Group to try give something back and potentially help change someone's life, the same way the programme changed mine.”
- Louise Littlefair

Her journey - from a student uncertain about her career direction to a senior professional shaping global strategy - is a clear example of what can happen when the right opportunity comes at the right time. And now, through her role in supporting the programme, she is helping create those same opportunities for the next generation.