Marlene lost her job at Novo: “At Pharmadanmark, I have never felt like just another member”

12.03.2026

By: Maria Trustrup, journalist, Pharmadanmark. Photo: John Bo, Life-photo.dk

Marlene Lottrup already knew what it meant when an email appeared in her inbox one day in September last year.

She had been made redundant.

It was a very sad message, because Marlene was very happy in her job and enjoyed working with her colleagues.

At the same time, it did not come as a major shock. Marlene worked at Novo Nordisk, and like everyone else she knew that the historically large round of redundancies – where 5,000 employees were to be dismissed in Denmark – was a reality.

So even though it was not the ideal scenario that Marlene became one of the many who had to say goodbye to Novo, she took the redundancy relatively calmly.

In reality, the redundancy had nothing to do with Marlene personally. She had done her job well and had been a strong employee – larger forces were at play.

“It meant a lot that there were so many redundancies, so I did not feel that it was personal that I had been chosen,” says Marlene.

“It could also be an opportunity to try something new – and today I am actually grateful that it happened, because it has given me new opportunities.”

“It could also be an opportunity to try something new – and today I am actually grateful that it happened, because it has given me new opportunities.”

Legal support from Pharmadanmark

It has now been about six months since Marlene – like thousands of other Novo employees – was released from her position.

She has secured a new job at Syntese (Ferring), and Pharmadanmark’s journalist met Marlene only a few days before she was due to start in her new role.

We are going to talk about what it was like to lose her job – and how she received support from Pharmadanmark during a difficult period.

So how can your Union help when you suddenly find yourself holding a redundancy letter?

In many ways, Marlene explains.

She first received support from one of Pharmadanmark’s lawyers, Patryk Juda-Jensen, who reviewed Marlene’s severance agreement. Patryk helped Marlene fully understand the agreement, which was very important to her.

“We spoke a few times, and that made me feel comfortable signing the agreement,” says Marlene.

What should I do next?

Once the legal matters were in place and Marlene was ready to look ahead, she contacted Pharmadanmark again. The question was what the next step in Marlene’s career should be – and she had several useful conversations about that with career adviser Hanne Arentsen.

“It was very positive, and I felt very welcome. I received some good tips about where to look, and I got the sense that things were not impossible.”

When Marlene secured a job interview, she received helpful advice and guidance about salary levels.

“I received many valuable insights that I have truly used. It meant that I was much better prepared to attend interviews after 11 years at Novo – and many years where changing jobs was not relevant – and it made the whole process feel much safer,” says Marlene.

Pharmadanmark understands the “Life Science world”

For Marlene, it was clear that she was speaking with lawyers and career advisers who had expertise in the Life Science industry.

“I could clearly feel that there is an extra level of depth, and that Hanne and everyone else at Pharmadanmark truly understand the Life Science world,” says Marlene.

“I could clearly feel that there is an extra level of depth, and that Hanne and everyone else at Pharmadanmark truly understand the Life Science world.”

“It may be reasonable to expect good help from your Union if you are made redundant – but I truly feel that I have received exactly that.”

At first, Marlene thought she might experience long response times or very short conversations, because she lost her job at a time when many others were in the same situation.

However, Marlene emphasises that she received good, quick and personal support throughout the process.

“In a situation like that, it is extremely important that you do not feel like just another number on an assembly line. At Pharmadanmark, I have never felt like just another member, but have always received very good support from everyone I have spoken to.”

From veterinary hospital to Life Science

Marlene has been a member of Pharmadanmark for many years. She is trained as a veterinarian, and when she began working in the Life Science industry, she felt it was natural to join the Union.

For more than 11 years, she worked with quality assurance at Novo Nordisk – and her new position at Syntese is also within quality assurance.

When Marlene joined Novo, it was her first experience with the Life Science industry.

She graduated as a veterinarian in 2001 and, after several years in a mixed practice in Jutland, she worked with small animals at a veterinary hospital in Sweden for nine years.

In many ways, Marlene enjoyed being a veterinarian. However, the framework and irregular working hours at the clinic did not match family life after she had two children.

At the same time, the family wanted to return to Denmark before the children started school, and in the end Marlene said goodbye to both Sweden and her job as a veterinarian.

Marlene secured a job at Novo and quickly settled into the new environment.

“In many ways I had to start from scratch, but Novo had a very strong training setup – and I have always believed that many things can become interesting if you dive into them.”

The transition from a veterinary clinic to a large Life Science manufacturing site was mostly an identity shift, Marlene explains.

“When you sit at a dinner party and say that you are a veterinarian, everyone knows what you do – and everyone has a little 'Fido' or 'Pjevs' they can talk about. It is not quite the same when you move into Life Science. For many people it can be a little difficult to understand what you actually do,” she says.

Marlene’s advice: reach out

At first glance, a veterinary job may seem very far from a quality assurance role. However, according to Marlene, there are actually many parallels.

“When you work as a veterinarian, you try to diagnose the animal – that is, to find the root cause of the problem so you can identify a treatment that removes it. In pharma, I also have to find root causes – but here it is about why a tank or valve is not working, and what we can do to fix it,” says Marlene.

“Pharmadanmark is a very strong support, and you have given me a lot of reassurance along the way.”

Marlene is now looking forward to getting to know her new workplace and an entirely new production environment.

Although losing her job created a lot of uncertainty, she has landed well and has also turned the situation into something positive. For example, she has spent time focusing on herself, lost a significant amount of weight and scheduled regular exercise.

Looking back, she is especially grateful for the support she received from Pharmadanmark – and she encourages others to use the Union if they find themselves in a similar situation.

“You should not be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Pharmadanmark is a very strong support, and you have given me a lot of reassurance along the way.”