Slovenia's most reputable employer proves that top talent can find great career opportunities here as well

  • Novartis in Slovenia  organized the seventh Novartis Career Breakfast, which was attended by approx. 300 Slovenian and international young talents and professionals from various  fields. 
  • The Novartis Career  Breakfast is an award-winning HR initiative that provides an insight into the  workings of the pharmaceutical industry and numerous career opportunities with  Slovenia's most respected employer.
  • In 15 thematic sessions,  more than 30 Novartis experts presented a wide range of projects and initiatives  in the pharmaceutical environment, focusing on the competences of the future.
12. 1. 2022

Novartis in Slovenia today hosted the seventh Novartis Career Breakfast, presenting the global pharmaceutical company's career opportunities in Slovenia to local and international young talent, as well as professionals in the natural and other sciences. The virtual event was attended by approx. 300 individuals from a wide range of disciplines, who listened to more than 30 Novartis experts in 15 thematic sessions. The aim of the event was to present the activities of Novartis, trends and opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, advanced solutions and projects in various fields, and to offer an opportunity to exchange questions, ideas and solutions.

The Novartis Career Breakfast is just one of the innovative recruitment initiatives that Novartis in Slovenia is using to attract new associates to its ranks. In the past year, the company has recruited more than 390 people and increased the number of associates to almost 6,000. Following the trends in the field of recruitment is also reflected in the company's high reputation among the public, which is also confirmed by the titles of the most reputable employer in Slovenia, which the company received for the third time last year, and the "Top Employer 2021" international certificate." At Novartis in Slovenia, we understand that the development, progress and success of a company depends on motivated employees, which is why we develop an empowered, curious and inspiring culture based on diversity and inclusion. We are delighted that our values are recognized by the public and, above all, that they are attractive to domestic and international professionals who want to help co-create medicine and breakthrough pharmaceutical solutions to improve the lives of people around the world," said Raul Intriago Lombeida, Global Head of Novartis Technical Operations Centers and Member of the Lek Board of Management, at the opening panel discussion.

The main topic of this year's Career Breakfast was the competences of the future, which formed the subject matter for the round table by Raul Intriaga Lombeida, Member of the Lek Board of Management, as well as Jonathan Novak, Global Head of Technical Research and Development of Biologics, Cell and Gene Therapies at Novartis and Dr. Alenka Štefanič Petek, Head of Sandoz Development Center in India. The panelists agreed that the transformation of most industries, including pharmaceuticals, requires not only new competences for employees, but also the adaptation of working methods and the support of companies in their development. Novartis has already introduced a new working model, Choice with Responsibility, which allows associates to decide where, when and how they do their work, while placing a strong emphasis on their physical and mental well-being. They also stressed the importance of lifelong learning and offer a number of training courses, especially in the areas of personal effectiveness, digital technologies and foreign languages.

The virtual meeting offered participants the opportunity to listen in to a variety of thematic sessions on organizational culture, logistics and procurement, production and development, automation, digitization and mixed reality, among others. "At Novartis in Slovenia we offer an extremely broad range of job opportunities, which we present each year through a number of thematic sessions through which participants can learn more about working at Novartis. So far this year, more than 550 top professionals have attended the Career Breakfasts, and 40 of them have subsequently been hired by Novartis. The Novartis Career Breakfast is an award-winning initiative that, together with projects, like BioCamp, develops modern trends in the field of youth engagement and proves that Slovenia offers serious career challenges for top professionals," added Dr. Darja Ferčej Temeljotov, Head of Strategic Programs at Novartis in Slovenia.

"The Novartis Career Breakfast is first and foremost an opportunity to offer young talents and professionals from all over the world an insight into the workings of a complex pharmaceutical system like Novartis and the advanced projects and solutions that are being developed by teams of dedicated associates in Slovenia. This gives us the opportunity to meet and get to know top talent and to present them with job opportunities and initiatives for collaboration and development in our midst," said Iris Slamič, Head of Talent Acquisition at Novartis in Slovenia.

Davor Škofič Maurer, Ph.D., returned to Slovenia after completing his Ph.D. in Austria. He joined Lek as an expert researcher in technical development and had the following to say about his experience at the Career Breakfast:

"At the Career Breakfast, I immediately recognized the great range of opportunities that Lek offers. I got an insight into the work of the different organizational units, the diversity of projects and, most importantly, an insight into the values that the company upholds and promotes, both in individuals and in teams. During the Career Breakfast, I had the opportunity to have a relaxed chat with the people who work here and learn more about their reasons for joining and staying with the company. Today, my working life is made up of flexible and dynamic work, unique challenges and people from all over the world."

"The Career Breakfast was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the research activities and many other initiatives taking place at Novartis. The event definitely gave me an insight into the team spirit at the company and, as a result, made my decision to start my career here much easier", said Katja Brezovar, now working as an Associate Expert Science & Technology at Technical Research and Development of Biologics, about her experience at the Career Breakfast 2021.

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Novartis is the leading provider of medicines in Slovenia, where Lek d.d.,Novartis Pharma Services Inc. and Sandoz d.d., operate. Together we are building and maintaining the reputation of a dynamic, ethical, and trusted pharmaceutical company. Lek develops, manufactures, and markets effective, safe, and high-quality medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients. With our knowledge, quality, and experience we have gained an important role in Novartis' organizational structure, especially in the Novartis Operations,Global Drug Development and the generic division Sandoz. We are the leading Sandoz development center, and one of the key development sites for technologically complex projects. We invest a great deal in the development, education, and training of our employees. Novartis invested in Slovenia morethan EUR 3 billion since 2003.

About Sandoz
Sandoz, a Novartis division, is a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. Our purpose is to pioneer access for patients by developing and commercializing novel, affordable approaches that address unmet medical needs. Our ambition is to be the world’s leading and most valued generics company. Our broad portfolio of high-quality medicines, covering all major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2021 sales of USD 9.6 billion.

About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 108,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world.
  Find out more at www.novartis.com.

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This press release contains statements and forecasts of future business operations.The forecasts include estimates based on all the information currently available to us. Should these forecasts prove unreliable, the actual results of business operations could be different from those expected.

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Forfurther information, please contact:
Gregor Makuc
Communication and External Engagement
Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d.
Telephone: 01 580 22 43

gregor.makuc@sandoz.com