Novartis’ Career Breakfast presents career challenges for top experts at home
- Novartis Career Breakfast is aimed at natural science experts, studying or working abroad. This year, Lek in Mengeš is organising this event for the third year in a row.
- Novartis Career Breakfast is an effective initiative focusing on enticing Slovenian experts to return to their home environment. Through this innovative initiative fifteen experts have been recruited so far.
- In an informal and relaxed atmosphere, the participants become acquainted with the work field and the challenges faced at Novartis, and many of them are also given an initial interview.
Today, Lek in Mengeš is organising the third Novartis Career Breakfast for highly educated natural science experts working or studying abroad. The Novartis Career Breakfast project is aimed at Slovenian experts in the field of natural science to entice them to return to their home environment. In November 2017, it received an award for the best innovative human resource practice, bestowed by Planet GV. The event is organised in collaboration with the Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia and the Association of Slovenes Educated Abroad (VTIS).
At the event, the experts have the opportunity to learn about the excellent career opportunities in their home environment and gain a very tangible insight into the wide range of challenges that experts at Novartis face. The challenges that they may meet in a high-tech pharmaceutical company, are often a key factor that leads to a decision to return to the home environment: »Experts who study or work abroad, usually decide to return, when they realise that they will be able to pursue their professional ambitions also in their home environment,« stressed Samo Roš, Head Human Resources and Member of the Lek Board of Management.
More than 150 Slovenian experts from abroad attended the first two Career Breakfasts, fifteen of them have been recruited so far; and with many of them they keep in touch, as new professional challenges and new opportunities for professional growth continuously arise in the pharmaceutical industry.
Monika Avbelj, a researcher in Development Analytics at Biologics Technical Development Mengeš, who attended the event last year, was particularly impressed by the innovative approach to address new associates: »At the event, I was given an insight into the work in the biopharmaceutical industry, which helped me to decide whether this work would be appropriate for me. At the same time, I could present my knowledge and interests in an informal discussion and relaxed atmosphere.«
Also at this year’s third consecutive Novartis career breakfast, a large number of participants are expected, more than fifty have announced their attendance. Špela Bernhard, the conceptual project manager: »It is a great pleasure for us that the event is becoming increasingly recognised, that participation is so strong and above all, that we can offer challenges to top and ambitious experts so that they are happy to return home.«
Novartis is the leading provider of medicines in Slovenia, where Lek, Novartis Pharma Services and Sandoz, 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 Technical Operations, Global Drug Development, Novartis Business Services, 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 more than EUR 2 billion since 2003. More than half of this investment has been devoted to development, and the rest to modernize and expand our production capacities.
Sandoz is a global leader in generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals. As a division of the Novartis Group, our purpose is to discover new ways to improve and extend people’s lives. We contribute to society’s ability to support growing healthcare needs by pioneering novel approaches to help people around the world access high-quality medicine. Our portfolio of approximately 1000 molecules, covering all major therapeutic areas, accounted for 2016 sales of USD 10.1 billion. In 2016, our products reached more than 500 million patients and we aspire to reach one billion. Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen, in Germany’s Greater Munich area.
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Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 121,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.
This press release contains statements and conclusions based on projections of Lek’s future business operations. These estimates are derived from the best information currently available. In case these forecasts prove unreliable, the actual results could prove different from those projected.
For additional information contact:
Katarina Klemenc
Corporate Communications
Lek Pharmaceuticals d. d.
Phone: +386 1 580 22 43
Fax: +386 1 580 24 32
katarina.klemenc@sandoz.com
