Meet Sean Steenson, Teva Canada employee for over 40 years

We caught up with Senior Facilities Manager Canada Sean Steenson on a cold and grey December afternoon for a chat about his long tenure at Teva Canada. As he talks to us from his work truck on the job site, it soon becomes clear he has many warm memories to share about his 40-plus year career. 

Sean joined Teva Canada (formally known as Novopharm) in 1979 as a high school student assisting on a part time basis in the packaging department after school. He enjoyed it so much that he never left the company. Even do most of his duties were plant maintenance base in the packaging floor, he soon became aware of the important the is work that he was a part of. 

“I worked directly with the products after the packaging lines,” he says. “I used to see the products in person in Packaging and learned that the process and things we do at Teva Canada are remarkable.” 

Sean worked his way up the ranks in various roles that included Warehousing Manager, Master Scheduler and Planning Manager. He learned first-hand that the core values of Teva Canada and the importance of our company to patients around the world. 

“The one thing I would like people to know is that the people in charge and our people are always thinking about product safety and patient safety,” he stresses. “We have great leadership. It has always been about integrity and honesty and ensuring safety for customers and ourselves.” 

It all become real for Sean in 1990, with the opening of the new building in Scarborough (30 Novopharm Court). The new facility was a tangible symbol of the important work the company was doing. “I realized that this is the real deal,” he recalls. “We all grew six inches taller when they moved to the new building.” 

After more than 40 years on the job, Sean remains energized and positive. He loves that every day at work is different, and that he is surrounded by terrific people and strong leaders. That’s not to say he hasn’t faced some tough challenges over the past few years. On a personal level, he dealt with illness and the loss of family members – and his Teva Canada family has supported him through it all. 

On a professional level, the COVID-19 pandemic has put Sean and his team to the test as they work to ensure employees are safe when they come on site. This involves implementing protocols and scheduling to keep teams separate and enabling remote work where possible. His team was tasked with keeping every area safe and clean, and ensuring all employees felt safe when coming on site. 

Sean looks forward to many more years on the job and is proud to be part of company that is built around helping people. For him, the benefits are simple. 

“We make medicines and people get well. That’s it.”