Building our very own Menarini's DNA

In 2018, Menarini Asia-Pacific launched its DNA – a set of critical attributes and enabling behaviours that guide us in our daily encounters with our stakeholders. A year later, has that DNA been visibly manifested? Have our “DNA –filled” behaviours positively influenced the lives of those we interact with, so much that we could say we are fulfilling our brand promise of invigorating lives?

Let’s hear from our CEO, Albert Lim and get some insights on how he thinks we have fared as an organisation on our journey to build a culture of our own, with our unique set of DNA – Integrity, Customer Focus, Sense of Urgency and Ambition.

1) What would success look like to you and where do you think we are in our journey towards ensuring our key values are translated in the way we conduct ourselves?

Success means for every one of us to be fully integrated into our DNA and values. Ultimately, the goal is for all doctors and business partners to recognise Menarini Asia-Pacific as a distinct entity that they enjoy working and collaborating with.

2) What do you love about the company and the culture? Which attributes do you want to stay part of the company’s fabric?

The process of building our DNA is similar to assembling building blocks. We need to consistently demonstrate the attitudes and qualities representing our DNA in every interaction with each other and our external partners. In this way, we are able to enjoy a warm and empathetic, yet professional culture that keeps us moving towards our goals. This will also help us stand out as a purpose-driven organisation that seeks to invigorate people’s lives.

To achieve this, we have to remain people-focused when we partner for success. We need to stay alert in listening to the needs of our partners and be always ready to plug in when healthcare needs change. Nevertheless, change is inevitable and we should always stay adaptable. We add or change the building blocks through our growth journey to cater to evolving healthcare needs.

3) What do you think we need to do more in order to fully embrace and live the DNA we have established? What are we missing?

We’re definitely still at a formative stage of our DNA journey. Many of us at Menarini Asia-Pacific have already begun thinking about our DNA and how we can apply it to work. It hasn’t been long ago since we embarked upon this effort, and as I carry out our work from day to day, I already see many of our team members living out these important values. This is a very encouraging sight. Given more time, I’m certain that we will, as an organisation, be able to fully embrace our DNA.

4) Where do you see Menarini Asia-Pacific 10 years from now, if we continue to live our DNA philosophy?

For any organisation to survive and thrive into the next 10 years, it needs to be clear about the evolving needs of its customers, partners and the market. But there’s also a need to foster a spirit of ambition so we’re always looking ahead to how we can do better by their customers.

Casting our sights 10 years ahead, we should always dream big and stay ambitious. We should always be thinking: how can we be creative and strategic so we can carry out our work more efficiently? For example, there are plenty of mid-range products on the market, so it doesn’t always apply that we aim only for the biggest players. Instead, we can extend our ambition by always searching for opportunities and building synergies that make sense. That’s what ambition is about, and without it, we risk falling behind our competitors.

Ultimately, it is our customers that we have to thank for our success. For that reason, maintaining our customer focus is key for letting us stay on track for the next 10 years.

The team has made some commendable efforts on this front. They have constantly been looking at how we can provide solutions to evolving, under-serviced healthcare needs. By thinking of how we can do more and do better, we can gain our customers’ trust for the years to come.

5) How do you think the leadership team has fared so far in carrying out our DNA mantra?

Building up our DNA culture is a cultural transformation, and like any transformation, we’ll need to keep at it and give it time. As an organisation, we now have a clearer understanding of what these values are. We’re making conscious decisions to demonstrate these values in our daily encounters with external and internal stakeholders.

I believe that we are getting there, and the leadership team will continue to keep this cultural transformation going as one of our top priorities. As long as we work together, I have no doubt that we can achieve great things.