My lunch session with students at the European School of Management in Berlin

I’m often asked, how I sustain the high level of passion for the work I do? The answer is quite simple: Our mission of improving and extending people’s lives has been motivating me for many years. Our medicines have enabled patients to live longer, healthier and more productive lives.

At the same time, one of the favorite parts of my job is to go out and meet young people from around the world. This week, I had the opportunity to attend a lunch discussion with students at the European School of Management (ESMT) in Berlin who are from all around the world – China, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Peru… 

I discussed with them how Bayer thinks differently about pharma innovation and what we do to advance “Science for a better life”. We had an in-depth discussion around the process of translating “science” into safe and effective medicines as well as how this requires sustainable strategy, robust expertise and substantial financial investments.

I absolutely enjoyed being challenged by the students.

When I was asked for advice on how to forge a successful career, I didn’t want to share very extensive nuggets of wisdom about life. I can only say that from my personal experience I always enjoyed undertaking challenging tasks and taking decisions. I’m -broadly speaking- convinced that without a strong, cohesive team and the confidence to take bold decisions and strategic bets, we would never have achieved the incredible breakthroughs that have changed lives across the world over the past century.

I must say that the many interesting questions I received from the ESMT students regarding healthcare topics and their willingness to take action filled me with a lot of enthusiasm about the future.