Working Life: Viggo Birch
pharmafile | November 10, 2008 | Feature | Business Services, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |Â Â Novo Nordisk, WL, careersÂ
How did you arrive at your current position?
A long story. I started in Mobil Oil in Denmark after graduating from business school. I started as a management trainee meaning that I had to move through all departments of the company over a certain period of time. So I spent five years starting as a sales rep, marketing assistant, financial controller, supply planner, MIS manager, marketing manager and ended up as director for marketing and supply 28 years old and the youngest member of the management team.
After 11 years there of which the last three years as director of strategic planning in Rotterdam, I decided to leave the oil business in order to seek different challenges. I was then hired by Nordisk Gentofte as vice president for a major part of the world markets (BeneLux, France, Spain, Latin America, Portugal and Greece).
Then came the merger and Novo Nordisk was formed in 1989 and I continued in the same position for the new company. After a couple of years I moved my region to Spain and stayed there for 11 years as Vice President for Spain and Portugal. In 2001, I took over the position in the UK and this year I have finally also moved to the UK where I bought a house recently (the past 7 years I have been commuting between Madrid and London).
How is your field changing?
The field is changing all the time and I always say that we need to reconfigure to avoid being reconfigured. Developments in the health care sector and specifically the NHS are the main drivers for this. We need to adapt to these changes, as does the entire Industry as dynamics are continuously evolving. Both opportunities and dangers are to be found in the time intervals between the implementation of each different stage of change.
What do you do all day?
Sometimes I wonder myself! I split my time between planning the longer term and managing the present. I try to drive the continuous change process by meeting with my direct reports and other employees. I need a lot of feedback from patients using our products and health care professionals. The most inspiring time is actually talking to patients and doctors and nurses. Also time spent with policy makers is extremely interesting. On top of that you can add all the internal meetings with colleagues in HQ and my peers in the European Management Team.
You can say the time is split between gathering information, explaining what is happening and making decisions. I do however encourage a high degree of empowerment, so my employees can make their own decisions.
What are the most enjoyable things about your role?
Seeing great performance is without doubt the most enjoyable thing. That is the best measure of patient satisfaction with our products and it demonstrates health care professionals are happy as well. It also means that our employees are successful and will consequently be happy.
And the least enjoyable?
The least enjoyable part is to deal with unreasonable interference from outside. Firstly, I find compulsory price reductions an insult to the research based industry and a primitive way of solving some short term financial problems that could be dealt with much better through better management of public funds. Furthermore, I find parallel trade the most destructive action to the serious pharmaceutical Industry. It is opportunistic trade and does not add any value at all to anybody except to a few individuals. I can only accept this kind of trade in a totally free trade situation. Our industry is highly regulated on price and as such can not be subject to the same rules as free traders.
What are the most common misconceptions about your field and the people who work in it?
The most common misconception is that our industry is unethical and greedy and makes profits on sick people. Unfortunately, all this stems from bad behaviour from many companies in the past. I sincerely believe that this kind of behaviour is no longer prevailing and has not been for decades. However, I still see that far too many bosses of the so-called big pharma are still thinking like dinosaurs, believing that blockbusters are the only way forward.
Have the recent changes in the financial climate affected pharma business models?
The current credit crunch, or soon to be recession, is in my mind mainly caused by opportunistic behaviour of greedy bankers that should be prosecuted for their mistakes. Novo Nordisk embarked on a very strict and different governance model (the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit) more than 20 years ago and we are still leading the way in that respect – not only within our Industry, but in general.
Is there an individual in your field who has inspired you or from whom you have learnt a lot?
I think the single person who has inspired me the most, is Novo Nordisk’s previous chief executive, Mads Ovlisen. He was the founder of the ethical standards prevailing in the company. He is probably the person with the highest integrity that I have come across.
He has a passion for modern art, and in my book that represents innovation and thinking beyond the traditional. When you couple this with people management skills and a high degree of integrity, I believe you have some strong elements of modern management where the idea is to achieve great results through people by sharing a vision, showing the way and being creative and innovating.
Similarly, is there someone (or something) outside your field who has been a big influence or source of inspiration for you?
Many years ago I met a management consultant, Richard Norman, who has given me so much inspiration in management. He started the service management philosophy and his vision and thinking is second to none. Later on I met great British professors from the field of diabetes that have also provided great inspiration to me thanks to their sharp brains and visionary thinking. There are a handful from around the country.
What is the secret to a happy working life?
I don’t think there is a simple secret or formula. I believe that if you are passionate about your job and love your family, you eventually will find the balance.
If you had advice for anyone starting out in your field now, what would it be?
My first advice would be to make sure you are not attracted to a job just because of the money. There must be a certain degree of passion about the job. Furthermore, to the extent possible – make sure to choose your own boss. Learn the business from the bottom and remind yourself that the company is always bigger than you are.
How do you relax and forget about work?
Being with my family. I love watching football and practice sports like tennis and soccer, although I am not as active as I used to be. Then I like art, wine and my summer house in France.
In an alternate life, what would you do for a living?
I would run an art gallery combined with a vineyard.
Biography:
Viggo Birch is vice president, Novo Nordisk Europe and managing director of the company’s UK & Ireland business region.
He has worked for Novo Nordisk for 20 years, and before moving to Europe North spent 11 years as the managing director for Spain & Portugal.
Prior to joining Novo Nordisk, Viggo was the director for strategic planning for Mobil Oil in the Benelux and Nordic countries, having also worked for the company in a variety of sales, marketing and managerial positions. He trained as a business economist at Copenhagen Business School and Wharton School, Pennsylvania.
Viggo is a Board member and co-founder of the Spanish Diabetes Foundation, and a member of European Working Group of International Diabetes Federation campaign for a United Nations resolution on diabetes. He is also a goodwill ambassador to the city of Copenhagen.
If you would like to contribute to a future Working Life, please contact Martin Maynard via e-mail at: mmaynard@wiley.com
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