Career opportunities for top experts presented at Novartis Career Breakfast

»Novartis career breakfast was created as a response to the modern migration of highly educated staff and as an incentive for Slovenian top experts abroad to return to their home environment. After five years, the event has grown into an interactive platform for students and experts from various fields who are interested in career opportunities in the global pharmaceutical company in Slovenia and beyond,« said Darja Ferčej Temeljotov, Head Strategic Programs at Novartis in Slovenia.

The innovative approach to finding top staff, introduced by Novartis Career Breakfast, has successfully attracted 21 Slovenian experts to date. »Over six years, Novartis Career Breakfast has been attended by more than 550 experts. In addition to those who have already found a place in our team, we also maintain contacts with others, as new opportunities for career development are constantly emerging in a high-tech pharmaceutical company. The popularity of the initiative proves that solving the greatest health challenges of modern times and finding breakthrough scientific innovations in an environment with a strong organizational culture is an attractive idea, both for those living abroad and in Slovenia,« added Iris Slamič, Head of Talent Acquisition and Staffing at Novartis in Slovenia.

Through lectures and discussions of this virtual meeting, the participants learned about a wide range of career opportunities in a stimulating work environment in thematic areas such as the development and manufacture of biologics, the use of mixed reality technology at work, agile teams and others. Novartis in Slovenia provides employees with an increasing number of opportunities for faster development of expertise, as it continues to invest in new technologies and strengthen capacity in the field of innovation, data science and digitization.

»At the Novartis Career Breakfast, I gained insight into the work of the various units and immediately recognized the opportunity to learn, progress, and continue my career. My integration into Novartis, which is one of the leading global pharmaceutical companies, enables me to acquire new knowledge and collaborate with internationally recognized top experts,« said Rok Brišar, PhD, a participant in one of the past career breakfasts and now a Team Leader at Drug Substance Bioproducton Mengeš.

Nika Anžiček, PhD, currently working as Project Lead in Bioogics Technical Development Mengeš, also came across Novartis in Slovenia through Novartis career initiatives: »The Career Breakfast is an opportunity for participants to delve, together with unit and team leaders, into what a job description on paper means in practice and thus make it easier to decide which job would suit them. At the career breakfast, you also get to know a wide range of Novartis initiatives for the wellbeing of employees and wider society, which are an important part of our workplace culture, as they contribute to motivation and a good atmosphere at work.«.

Miha Homšak returned to Slovenia at the beginning of October last year after eight years of undergraduate and doctoral studies in chemistry in Great Britain. He now works as a researcher at the Sandoz Development Center, where he is responsible for chemical synthesis of new pharmaceutical ingredients. »Already during my studies, I decided to return to Slovenia after completing my doctoral degree, as I think that we have excellent career opportunities, and the quality of life is also very high. I am interested in research in pharmacy and work in an international team, so I wanted to get a job at Lek or Novartis. Attending past career breakfasts definitely helped me make a decision. These are a good opportunity to get to know the employees and have a relaxed conversation with them, as this gives the interested party a better insight into the nature of work and the climate in the company,« said Miha Homšak.

Novartis Career Breakfast is an award-winning initiative that sets, together with the BioCamp and Novartis Business Career Event, the trends in the field of employment.