Together We Transform: A Word from Priya Unni

My name is Priya Unni, and I am a piping section manager at Jacobs based in Gurugram, Haryana, India.

This is actually my second time working at Jacobs. I originally started at the company in 2004, I was based in Mumbai, and I worked there as a senior manager for ten years before leaving and returning in 2020. So, in total I’ve worked at Jacobs for more than 13 years.

In my current role, as piping section manager, together with my team, we design and analyse piping systems that transport materials such as oil, gas, water and waste from one location to another. Piping in construction is much like the arteries and veins in our bodies, absolutely critical. Through our work as part of Jacobs’ Life Sciences team, we design piping systems for all types of pharmaceutical facilities that support the development of life enhancing drugs, vaccines and gene therapies.  

What drives me in my work on a daily basis is the innovative approach that Jacobs takes and how the business encourages that mindset through employees, like me. Additionally, Jacobs’ reputation as an equal opportunity employer and its BeyondZero® culture, which is our approach to the health, safety and security of people, makes me want to get up in the morning and go to work.

Culture is very important to me. I have worked for more than 31 years so I understand that in order to get up and go to work every day, you need to be motivated. I have that at Jacobs, every day feels like my first day, and that is because of the culture.

Working in life sciences means more to me because I have personal experience with someone who has benefitted from life-changing medicines. My mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was in my teens. For more than 20 years, she had been taking medicines and therapies to help her condition, however, while this did help her it also meant that she was effectively numbed from the world and spent much of her time sleeping and unable to complete daily tasks. About eight years ago, we changed her medication to a new generation drug, and it transformed her life. Through this drug, we were able to manage her schizophrenia, and we also got our mother back emotionally – she was less numb, more aware, and now, at 75, she lives a happy life. This has given my family a lot of happiness and hope because, thanks to this new generation drug, she can have a better life.

I am incredibly proud to work as part of the Jacobs Life Sciences team and I am motivated in my job every day because my family and I understand how life enhancing medicines and therapies can transform people’s lives. And when I see my mother, I feel it even more.