Dr. Remo Gujer, pharmacist and General Manager Switzerland and Austria at Bristol Myers Squibb, is able to pursue his passion in his work and focuses on the safety and well-being of his employees.
How employees from two organizations were successfully brought together in the course of the merger
Dr. Remo Gujer, you started at Celgene as part of a three-person team. Two years ago, Celgene and Bristol Myers Squibb merged, and now you are General Manager Switzerland and Austria at Bristol Myers Squibb. Was this always your dream job?
My passion is to develop new things and generate added value and progress through innovation. I was already able to pursue this passion in my work at Celgene, and this is also true of my work at Bristol Myers Squibb. For example, having a fundamental and positive impact on patients with serious illnesses through novel therapies is something that inspires and motivates me greatly.
Over the past 10 years, you have been responsible for the regions of Eastern Europe, then Belgium and the Netherlands for 2-3 years each, and most recently you were VP-General Manager of Celgene UK and Ireland. What insights have you gained during this time?
One important insight was seeing how long it takes for the molecular biology technologies that I had used in my own laboratory research projects more than 20 years ago to directly benefit patients as therapies. On the other hand, I was able to grapple with the complexity of healthcare systems, which vary from country to country. Understanding these healthcare systems, negotiating and partnering with decision-makers, and the culture and commitment of our employees in these countries have had a profound impact on my way of thinking.
How did you support employees from these different corporate cultures during the merger of Celgene and Bristol Myers Squibb?
The goal was to bring together the best of both corporate cultures. At Celgene, a lot of responsibility was taken on directly in the countries , and yet the corporate values of the global parent company were very much present.
Bristol Myers Squibb has a successful company history spanning more than 200 years and, with integrated processes, manages to conduct focused and innovative research and bring new therapies to market quickly. The two companies complemented each other perfectly, which also enabled the teams in the Swiss and Austrian branches to integrate quickly.
Employer attractiveness and talent development
Bristol Myers Squibb is one of the world’s five largest pharmaceutical companies. Can we assume that high potentials are lining up to work for you?
We want and need high potentials, but to attract them, we have to do something. Our goal is to be one of the best employers in Switzerland. It is just as important to me to specifically promote talent within our company by offering a variety of development programs within our region and together with our global teams.
In the “Best WorkplacesTM” ranking, Bristol Myers Squibb is number 4 in Switzerland and even number 1 in Austria – congratulations!
We are naturally proud of these two excellent rankings. They are the result of a corporate culture that is lived at all levels at Bristol Myers Squibb. Promoting diversity and the further development of our employees play a central role in this.
Leadership in exceptional situations
When you think of COVID-19, what comes to mind first as General Manager of Bristol Myers Squibb?
That this global challenge requires coordination, cooperation, and alignment far beyond cantonal and national borders, and that research and science will lead us out of this crisis.
Have you adapted your leadership style since the COVID-19 lockdown?
The safety and well-being of our employees are clearly my top priority. Good, open, and authentic communication is very important to me in order to maintain a good sense and understanding of the well-being of employees, even beyond the months of working from home. Delegating responsibility and allowing employees to make flexible, situational decisions based on the best available information has also contributed greatly to overcoming individual challenges in this crisis.
What areas will Bristol Myers Squibb focus on in the future?
Bristol Myers Squibb is also focused on cancer and immune disorders in research and clinical development. Our industry is in the midst of an innovation transformation. New biotechnological methods, electronic processing and networking of health data, and the support of artificial intelligence offer great opportunities to develop novel drugs and use therapies in a more targeted manner. It is important to make the added value of innovative therapies more visible and available to the population.
Cell therapies as the next milestone
What does the current Bristol Myers Squibb pipeline look like?
We have a lot planned for the next one to two years. With CART cell therapy, we have a pipeline of cancer immunotherapies in which a patient’s T cells are genetically modified so that they can specifically recognize the tumor and the immune system can fight it. We have other innovative therapies in clinical development that help fight cancer, immune and cardiovascular diseases in a more targeted and causal manner at the cellular level.
From England back to Switzerland
One more personal question: because of your work, you lived in England with your wife and three children and then returned to Switzerland. How did you manage this change in your family’s center of life?
Leaving Switzerland was a big change for our children, so there were naturally a few challenges. However, we were able to acclimatize well and our time together in England was a great enrichment for us as a family. The fact that we settled in so quickly and well in the local English environment is clearly thanks to my wife. When we came back to Switzerland, our children were teenagers. Today, we are very happy to be back in Switzerland.
Which people inspire you?
I am inspired by great explorers and innovative thinkers. These can be people from the past, such as Leonardo da Vinci, or people from the present day. Simply people who have the courage to approach things in a new way, to question existing processes and look at them from a new perspective in order to generate something new.
Conclusion
The conversation with Dr. Remo Gujer shows how closely leadership, corporate culture, and scientific standards are linked at Bristol Myers Squibb.
The successful integration of Celgene into the group, the consistent focus on employee safety and well-being, and the clear strategic focus on innovative therapies shape the work in Switzerland and Austria.
At the same time, it is clear that sustainable progress is not only achieved through research, but also through people who take responsibility, support change, and allow new perspectives.
