Novartis Czech Republic’s Post

It has been a year since I became CCO for Astellas and given how regularly I am asked what that involves, it feels only right that I try and explain more about my role. With responsibility for the P&L from our Commercial operations, my job may appear to be all about the numbers when, in actual fact, it is more about the people. First and foremost, our patients. It is my job to make sure we bring our innovative medicines to customers, so they can optimally treat and bring value to patients’ lives. But to deliver on that promise takes vision and cohesion, which is why the lion’s share of my internal focus this year has been on building a high-performing, cross-functional team. The success of the Growth Strategy – which identified how we could potentially impact the lives of over nine million more patients – has exceeded all expectations and been a major highlight of the past year. But, of course, Commercial is only one part of a much bigger whole.    Bringing breakthrough discoveries to patients relies on collaboration and partnerships with stakeholders right across the healthcare ecosystem. This is why I value and devote so much time to engaging with healthcare experts, patient groups, government agencies, media and, through my board membership of EFPIA, industry peers: to ensure we support patient access and bring the greatest possible benefit to the lives of our patients globally.    Regular touchpoints with our valued investor community to keep them appraised of the future trajectory and evolution of our business is another vital and fulfilling aspect of my work.    Every conversation reveals something new and inspires me to keep pushing, driving and aspiring for more. Being Astellas CCO is a privilege and I intend to continue extracting every last drop of potential out of every single day!  

What is most important? Having the highest market cap? Having the strongest sales growth? Or being the best place to work? If you asked a bunch of leaders which they preferred, you might get a few different answers or at least a few saying, “Why not all three?” And I would also say, all those metrics are important, but if I had to choose, I would go for best place to work. The foundation for sustainable success in business is built on a company’s culture and the engagement of its employees. Everything else, whether it’s innovation, outperforming competition, share price, growth, all of it is dependent on good people feeling good about going to work. After all, how can a company research and develop the most effective molecules, produce them efficiently, and market them to those in need better than its competitors, without having the most engaged employees across the value chain? Let me put it this way. I can imagine most colleagues wouldn’t know the daily fluctuations of our share price or our exact market share. But they will know at all times how they feel about the company and its future and if they’re positive, that can only benefit Novo Nordisk and our patients. That’s why I am proud today that we have once again been selected as the Best Place to Work in the World. It is just one ranking of course and these things are always debatable. But it is good to know that something I have believed for 31 years, that Novo Nordisk is a special place to work, has been validated by others from the outside looking in. A big thank you to all my colleagues who make our culture and “Novo Nordisk Way live each day through your passion and your dedication. This was yet another belated 100 year birthday present for our company! And to those of you who read this from outside Novo Nordisk: if you are talented at what you do, if you have a desire to make a real impact, and if you have a passion for patients and innovation, why not come work with us if the opportunity presents itself? Our doors are always open…

What a way to wrap up three weeks of business travel throughout Europe! I met with many amazing internal and external partners, visited five countries, four of which were first-time visits, and I celebrated my one-year anniversary with MilliporeSigma (Merck Group). I even got to have a reunion with a special former partner, Dagmar Schubert over dinner as it was a very short detour. I've learned so much, I don't even know where to begin. It has been quite a year. Last year, when I made the decision to embark on a new adventure, I didn't know what to expect and the unknown frightened me but excited me at the same time. I wasn't sure if I could do as well at a larger organization (imposter syndrome) and I remained consistent in the following ways to prepare myself for my new endeavor: - Communication: I communicated the responsibilities and assignments I was looking for to utilize and develop my skill set, as well as to keep me on my career road map. Thankfully, my leadership listened and took action. - Curiosity: I was open to live feedback, new experiences, new learnings, and the challenges (known and unknown). Thankfully, my curiosity didn't kill me. - Conscious development: I came into my role and new company with a 30/60/90 day plan and a road map. Thankfully, it wasn't deemed "too soon" for me to have a plan. - Networking: To be successful, I knew I had to know who my people resources were. Thankfully, everyone was willing to share their time and expertise! - Impact: I sought to make an impact wherever I was. Thankfully, the impact was measurable and visible. - Leadership: I sought to lead from where I was. Thankfully, it didn't come off as "bossy." To top off my Euro tour and one-year anniversary, I was nominated and accepted into Merck's High Potential Employee 2024 Cohort. I'm excited to explore the learning and networking opportunities this program brings in the year ahead. Now, I look forward to going home and spending quality time with my husband, daughter, and four-legged babies.

In this week's episode, Samuel Hollis (Novartis UK) shares his journey in the pharmaceutical industry, a career spanning close to 2 decades working in the UK, Switzerland and US in roles from sales rep, medical affairs to global marketing and business unit head to now gearing up to start as a country president in Central Europe, not to mention his 🦞 theory! We discussed: 🏥 The role of medical affairs and why people should join the industry 🌟 Why 21st century leadership is about authenticity, vulnerability and entrepreneurship 💊 The process of a medicine coming to market 🇬🇧🇺🇸 Learnings from working in the UK vs US 🔬 The importance of innovation and staying competitive 🛠️ Building real solutions to real problems 🔄 Transitioning from AstraZeneca to Novartis UK 🌱 Growth and leadership mindset 🦞 'Be More Lobster' 🤝 Why collaboration and partnerships between healthcare systems and industry are built on trust 💼 The reputation of pharma and myth busting 🔨 How to build trust and 'Purpose-led collaborations' 📉 Learning from failures, commercial R&D and building the right working cultures 🌍 New role as country president at Novartis 🎓 Tips for building a career in the pharma industry Link in the comments!

Our regional head Victoria Anashkina came to visit Amgen Turkiye for three days. We used to work for a month 🙄to prepare for these meetings, which we call “Business Review Meetings”. Max 10 years ago , We would prepare hundreds of pages of presentations and get very stressed😏 I realized yesterday again that welcoming Victoria wasn't like this for us🙏🏻🍀🧿and I thought about why. Top 3 reasons came to my mind: In the past, we could only make presentations during these physical visits, we would meet once, max twice a year, but now we have the opportunity to explain ourselves almost every month virtually , so there is no such thing as one and only time to explain our business stories. Information and reporting systems developped significantly… almost all data automised. How the performance of the business is going can be seen at the click of a button🥰🙏🏻There is no need for heavy presentations anymore. And ultimately the culture of the company and style of the senior leaders is “still” very important. Being constructive, humble, having strong business acumen to understand complex matters, sincere human touch and listening capabilities are pretty key. It is great being all together as ONE team🥰working for patients. #wearebiotech #mycompany Amgen

“To Heart and not to Hard” – that was the Novo Nordisk question. Browsing through Copenhagen airport on Thursday, I suddenly stopped, as my eye was caught by a book in the bookstore, on the “New books” stand: “Hard Kåre”, “the story of one of Denmark’s most successful businessmen”. The title says it all: Kåre Schultz was probably the most feared leader in Novo Nordisk, at least during the years that my insights come from, being an employee from 2009 - 2020. Stories about how the infamous “Oper-Man” (Operations Management Team) was led by Kåre Schultz, and the near-death experiences that people across the organisation had, when called upon to present status and progress to Oper-Man were many and quite dramatic. Anyone who has seen Robert de Niro as Al Capone, talking about “Team-Work” in “The Untouchables” will know what I mean. I must confess that I haven’t read “Hard Kåre” yet, but as I gather from the media reviews, the most interesting part of the book is the tell-all chapter about his exit from Novo Nordisk and the bitter and in his own opinion, “personal driven decision by an offended Chair of the Board” to pass him by as successor to Lars Rebien Sørensen. I would like to offer a different perspective… Novo Nordisk is not just famous for their outstanding drug portfolio, they are equally and perhaps even more so among employees, famous for the Tripple Bottom Line and the Novo Nordisk Way – the charter of values, behaviours and expectations. And where do these come from? Well, I give you “Heart Core” – thoughts about leadership”, the autobiography by Mads Øvlisen, CeO of Novo Nordisk from 1981-2000 and the image of decency, respect, empathy and humility. The two book titles – so close and yet as far apart as can be, demonstrate the core (sorry😉) difference between psychological safe and unsafe environments. Had the BoD appointed Hard Kåre Schultz as CeO, Novo Nordisk would have been in a dramatically different place today, financially successful no doubt, but at the cost of some the values that represent why Novo Nordisk is still considered one of the Greatest Places to Work. The most successful companies know to focus on the Heart and not just the Hard.   

Great Place To Work® and PEOPLE magazine have honored Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. as one of the 2023 PEOPLE Companies That Care®. The PEOPLE Companies That Care list is based on over 1.3 million employee survey responses and data from companies representing the experience of more than 7.5 million employees. “This was the year when we saw if companies meant it when they promised to put employees first,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. “Caring for people isn’t a by-product or afterthought for the very best companies — it’s a core part of how they create value for their customers and communities.” Otsuka's inspiring work environment nurtures passion, stimulates creativity, supports mental health, and piques curiosity for all Otsuka-people. Together, there is no limit to how we can change the world. Read more: https://bit.ly/47DjrWB

Great Place To Work® and PEOPLE magazine have honored Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. as one of the 2023 PEOPLE Companies That Care®. The PEOPLE Companies That Care list is based on over 1.3 million employee survey responses and data from companies representing the experience of more than 7.5 million employees. “This was the year when we saw if companies meant it when they promised to put employees first,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. “Caring for people isn’t a by-product or afterthought for the very best companies — it’s a core part of how they create value for their customers and communities.” Otsuka's inspiring work environment nurtures passion, stimulates creativity, supports mental health, and piques curiosity for all Otsuka-people. Together, there is no limit to how we can change the world. Read more: https://bit.ly/47DjrWB

Great Place To Work® and PEOPLE magazine have honored Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. as one of the 2023 PEOPLE Companies That Care®. The PEOPLE Companies That Care list is based on over 1.3 million employee survey responses and data from companies representing the experience of more than 7.5 million employees. “This was the year when we saw if companies meant it when they promised to put employees first,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. “Caring for people isn’t a by-product or afterthought for the very best companies — it’s a core part of how they create value for their customers and communities.” Otsuka's inspiring work environment nurtures passion, stimulates creativity, supports mental health, and piques curiosity for all Otsuka-people. Together, there is no limit to how we can change the world. Read more: https://bit.ly/47DjrWB

Grateful will fall short to represent how I feel after this 3-days experience to explore, engage & commit to act to shape the future of Sanofi. But the road is paved with challenges in an environment changing faster than ever, powered by IA spreading at light speed as a tsunami we are learning to surf while it shifts our current paradigms in weeks, patients are empowered & expecting more from our industry & our mission is bold. But I believe we will transform those into opportunities to become the first IA powered biopharma to change the practice of medicine. Sounds exciting to you? To me: mission accepted! For that, my 2 commitments to achieve: 1. Define my impact lever & stick to it without compromising. 2. Influence others to embark together on the journey. The Ingredients for success: that have been reinforced through the activities & interactions? - Keep exploring the value chain to excel at connecting the dots as I already love to do. - Untap the real potential of our best assets: human networking to think solutions differently, to learn from each other’s situations & to reflect together. - Enhance the use of IA to generate additional added value at the service of our patients. - Uncover my full internal power through self-discovering journey & skills mastery to bring my mission to live courageously. I truly believe that contributing to this mission will not only grow me as a professional & personally but that we will all feel transformed, purposeful & proud.