Working Life: Caroline Horwood
pharmafile | December 6, 2012 | Feature | Business Services, Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |Â Â Sanofi, Working LifeÂ
How did you find your way into your current role?
Through an exciting and challenging route over 25 years! The key themes were roles where I could demonstrate making a difference to results, patients and people.
This included working both in the UK and in a global role. The global role opened my mind to wider possibilities and I learnt a lot through working with different cultures.
How is your field changing?
With the massive changes in the NHS and the growing burden of diabetes, it is beholden on all of us to consider how we can continue to be relevant in the eyes of our customers.
We have had to undergo our own transformation within Sanofi in recent years, and this will naturally continue as the needs of our customers evolve.
This in itself is exciting, offering us all new opportunities should we choose to listen to what our customers are saying, and consider what that means to those of us working in the pharma industry. Ignore your customers at your peril!
What are the most enjoyable things about your role?
There are many! Working with motivated people who also want to learn and make a difference, whether they are colleagues, collaborators, or customers.
Developing solutions to complex issues, which make a difference to the outcomes of people living with diabetes and those that care for them is also hugely fulfilling. It’s a great feeling to see how Sanofi Diabetes and our customers can work synergistically to address and overcome the challenges we collectively face.
And the least enjoyable?
Any role has its low-value added tasks that need to be completed. The most important thing is to carve out time for doing the things that matter most.
What are the most common misconceptions about your field and the people in it?
At Sanofi Diabetes UK and Ireland we have a vision to help us become the leading diabetes care company, so that when people ‘think diabetes’, they ‘think Sanofi’. If we are to achieve this we have to put the person with diabetes at the centre of everything.
This passion for the customer is at the heart of what we do and if we get this right everything will follow from that. The perception of this industry has historically been that we are interested in selling boxes but we are working as a team to change this.
Is there someone in your field who has inspired you or from whom you have learnt a lot?
Over the years I have been fortunate to work with some very inspirational people.
Those that demonstrate leadership, make everything look effortless and really focus on people stand out for me. They make every interaction count and remember the small but important things about an individual.
Similarly, is there someone (or something) outside your field who has been a source of inspiration for you?
Having been incredibly enthused by the spirit of the Olympics in London, I have great admiration for those that can deliver under enormous pressure on the big occasions.
Preparation and practice underpin the ambition, dedication and talent required to do this, a philosophy that translates well to our own day to day work.
What is the secret to a happy working life?
Having interests outside which you are passionate about as well.
If you had advice for anyone starting out in your field now, what would it be?
The healthcare arena is a very different place to when I joined but the principles remain the same. Work on being the best you can possibly be in any given role, listen and learn from those around you, and remember to put the patient at the centre of all decisions you make. If you follow that mandate you can’t go far wrong.
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