Why Albert Returned to ICON | Pharmacovigilance Careers

Why returning to ICON was the right career move for Albert Bekfi

Sometimes the next step in your career means moving on. Sometimes it means coming back.

For Albert Bekfi, Vice President, Pharmacovigilance and Safety Reporting, Service Delivery at ICON, returning to the company over a decade after first leaving wasn’t something he had planned. But after building global leadership experience across pharmaceutical companies and CROs, the opportunity to rejoin ICON felt like the right move at exactly the right time.

Today, Albert leads global service delivery within Pharmacovigilance and Safety Reporting, helping shape the future of patient safety while supporting the continued growth of one of ICON’s fastest expanding business areas.

Returning for the People

Albert first joined ICON in 2013 as a Senior Drug Safety Associate in Southampton, UK. During his first time with the company, he progressed into Team lead roles before relocating back to Hungary in 2016.

Although much had changed since then, one thing stood out when he considered returning.

“The people.”

Throughout his career, Albert had stayed connected with colleagues across the industry. When an opportunity at ICON arose, it wasn’t just the role that caught his attention. It was the chance to work again with leaders he already respected.

“I knew Quintin from Southampton. He was always very down to earth and close to people. When I heard I’d have the opportunity to work with him again, that really interested me.”

The conversations also reinforced how much ICON’s Pharmacovigilance organisation had evolved.

“The picture they painted for me was very exciting. Pharmacovigilance is growing rapidly, and ICON wants to continue investing in it and taking it even further.”

Building experience beyond ICON

Albert’s career after leaving ICON gave him opportunities to develop skills that now shape his leadership approach.

He led global pharmacovigilance operations within a large pharmaceutical company, gaining first-hand insight into sponsor organisations, vendor partnerships and complex global operating models. Later, working within a growing CRO, he took on commercial responsibilities, reported directly to the CEO and became accountable for business performance through P&L ownership.

Rather than viewing those experiences separately, Albert sees them as pieces of the same journey. .

“Understanding how sponsors operate internally, having responsibility for a P&L, working closely with business development and building relationships across the industry are all things I now bring back to ICON.”

A passion for leadership

While pharmacovigilance first attracted Albert because of the science, it was leadership that became his biggest motivation.

“I realised quite early that helping other people do their best work is the part I enjoy most.

He enjoys helping people develop their careers and believes great leaders stay connected to the work their teams do every day.

“I don’t think you can afford not to understand the processes. You don’t need to be the expert doing every task yourself, but you should understand the systems, the workflows and where improvements can be made.”

That mindset continues to shape how he approaches his new role, spending time with teams across the organisation, understanding processes in detail and identifying opportunities to improve how work is delivered.

Making Patient Safety more effective

Although patient safety remains at the heart of pharmacovigilance, Albert is particularly passionate about improving the operational systems that support it.

During his career, he led the redesign of global case management processes that reduced unnecessary investigations and improved the quality of safety data available for important medicines.

For Albert, operational excellence is about allowing teams to focus on work that truly matters.

“We shouldn’t spend time doing things that don’t make sense or duplicate work unnecessarily. We should spend more time on the things that improve patient safety.”

Looking ahead with automation

One of the biggest changes Albert noticed when returning to ICON was how technology has transformed the way teams work.

He points to innovations such as ORCA, ICON’s safety reporting automation platform, as examples of how automation is improving accuracy, efficiency and the experience of both employees and clients.

“Twelve years ago, much of this work was manual. Seeing the investment ICON is making in automation and AI is exciting because it’s going to transform how we work.”

Albert believes the next generation of pharmacovigilance professionals will increasingly combine scientific knowledge with digital capability as AI becomes embedded within everyday workflows.

Why ICON?

Having worked across multiple organisations throughout his career, Albert believes ICON offers something distinctive.

Despite a challenging period for the wider life sciences industry, he sees strong opportunities for growth across ICON’s Pharmacovigilance organisation, alongside continued investment in technology and people’s careers.

“If you work hard and show your potential, there are real opportunities to grow here.”

Just as importantly, he believes the culture has remained true to what first attracted him.

“ICON still cares about its people. I’ve worked at different companies, and you can genuinely feel the difference.”

For Albert, returning wasn’t about going backwards. It was about bringing everything he had learned throughout his career back to an organisation where he knew he could make an impact.

Sometimes the best career move isn’t finding somewhere new. It’s returning somewhere that has grown alongside you.

Pharmacovigilance Careers at ICON

Albert's story demonstrates that careers in pharmacovigilance are rarely linear. Every role, every challenge and every opportunity to learn builds experience that can shape the next step.

At ICON, that means joining teams that are advancing patient safety, investing in new technologies and creating opportunities to grow professionally. Whether you're starting your career or bringing years of experience with you, there's scope to make an impact while continuing to develop alongside the business.

View our Pharmacovigilance & Drug Safety openings at ICON here.

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Coming Back Stronger: Albert's Return to ICON

Why returning to ICON was the right career move for Albert Bekfi

Returning for the People

Building experience beyond ICON

A passion for leadership

Making Patient Safety more effective

Video

Looking ahead with automation

Why ICON?

Pharmacovigilance Careers at ICON

ICON & You
The potential of together.

Impactful work. Meaningful careers. Quality rewards.

About Icon

Overview of Service Lines

Global Office Locator

Inclusion & Belonging

ICON Cares - ESG

Building a Successful Clinical Research Resume

Landing Your First Job in Clinical Research

Coming Back Stronger: Albert's Return to ICON

Why returning to ICON was the right career move for Albert Bekfi

Returning for the People

Building experience beyond ICON

A passion for leadership

Making Patient Safety more effective

Video

Looking ahead with automation

Why ICON?

Pharmacovigilance Careers at ICON

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ICON & You The potential of together.

Impactful work. Meaningful careers. Quality rewards.

ICON & You
The potential of together.