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Inclusive and collaborative: How global biopharma company’s diverse talents innovate to transform lives
AbbVie’s dynamic workforce and supportive culture is accelerating access to life-changing treatments for patients around the world
The Singapore team cleaned up Marina Reservoir’s waterways during AbbVie’s Week of Possibilities in June and July 2022.
PHOTO: ABBVIE
Over the last 10 years, more than US$50 billion (S$66.6 billion) has been invested by biopharma company AbbVie to research, develop and discover new medicines and solutions that make lives better. Ranked sixth in the World’s Best WorkplacesTM, its global workforce of over 50,000 employees are focused every day on delivering a consistent stream of innovative new solutions spanning the key therapeutic areas of immunology, oncology, neuroscience, aesthetics and eye care.
Ranked among the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®, AbbVie completed the transformative acquisition of Allergan in 2020, and brought together two diverse businesses and groups of employees to build a stronger global entity.
With this, Singapore is now one of the few AbbVie locations in the world that has integrated biopharmaceutical operations across manufacturing, pharma and aesthetics – presenting more exposure and professional development opportunities for its high-performing local workforce. This year, AbbVie is ranked among 250 top employers in a list released by global research firm Statista in collaboration with The Straits Times.
Four AbbVie leaders in Singapore share about the company’s distinct culture, talent development and its decade of impact on the biopharmaceutical sector.
Putting global scale to work
Ms Peggy Wu has been with AbbVie since its inception 10 years ago, during which she rose up the ranks to become the vice president of Asia. Based in Singapore, Ms Wu manages the Asia region to accelerate access to life-changing treatments.
How has AbbVie contributed to Singapore’s biopharmaceutical sector?
“Singapore is a strategic location from which we serve our patients and customers globally. We are home to AbbVie’s pharma and aesthetics businesses in the region and the only manufacturing presence in Asia. We want to continue putting Singapore on the world map by staying laser-focused on improving the health and well-being of more people.”
What does the integration of Allergan mean for AbbVie and the industry?
“By bringing two diverse global businesses together, pharma and aesthetics, we have enhanced our scale and product diversity to drive greater impact – across geographies, disciplines and multiple therapeutic areas – for patients, people and the broader communities. We have brought together 30 brands and established strong product leadership positions in important markets to help people live better lives.
Notwithstanding the fact that the integration took place during the pandemic, we have made great strides in driving our ‘One AbbVie’ culture. We have aligned our policies and practices to ensure an equitable experience for all our employees to thrive in the organisation.”
Ensuring that no patient goes without medicine
Mr Sridhar Dorai, who is the site director at AbbVie Singapore, describes AbbVie’s journey of capabilities building as exhilarating. Since 2014, the manufacturing team has been raising the bar, augmenting its technical skills to manufacture more products for critically ill patients.
How does the Singapore plant meet global healthcare needs?
“We aim to be a centre of excellence. Our plant, which comprises both active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and biologics facilities, is equipped to tackle a complexity of manufacturing challenges. From Singapore, through focused, effective and efficient execution, we serve patients from around the globe by delivering a consistent, high-quality supply of medicines. Even at the height of the pandemic, our products were delivered in full and on time to patients globally.
We put patients at the centre of everything we do because we believe that no patient should go without medicine.”
What’s next for the Singapore plant?
“In the eight years since we commenced operations, we have built a great facility and a great team. We will continue to provide a supportive environment for our employees to add value in every single manufacturing activity that we undertake.
Specifically, as part of this amazing team in AbbVie, we are keen to look into more digital transformation of our manufacturing capabilities and build a plant of the future that will inspire hope and transform lives.”
An inclusive culture where every employee’s voice is heard
Ms Clare Cutler co-founded the Diversity Matters group to advocate, raise awareness and provide tools and education to support equity, equality, diversity and inclusion (EED&I) for employees. As the general manager of Allergan Aesthetics, Asia region, she is passionate about building an inclusive culture to help deliver innovative medicines and solutions to enhance patients’ lives.
Why is EED&I an important vision for AbbVie?
“Delivering on our mission requires valuing diverse perspectives, creating an inclusive culture and treating all our employees with dignity and respect. Our focus is not only on diversity and inclusion but also equity and equality, which means we are better able to understand the impact EED&I has on things that matter to employees. They include being confident to bring their authentic selves to work, career advancement, and development of women leaders.
At AbbVie, we are proud to have a balanced female representation; 55 per cent of our global workforce and 51 per cent of management-level employees are women.*”
What is unique about AbbVie’s workforce in Singapore?
“Here, we have an impressive mix of nationalities, ethnicities, and expertise. Our employees come together, drawing from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to explore new ways of thinking, support innovation and ensure we reflect the diverse patient populations we serve and represent their voices.
Creating an inclusive and collaborative culture also applies to how we approach the community. Last year, the Singapore team came together during our Week of Possibilities – AbbVie’s global week of community service events – to give back to our local communities through volunteerism and hands-on service projects.”
Building a diverse and high-performing workforce
Mr White Wang, the area vice president of Allergan Aesthetics, Japan and Asia Pacific, believes in empowering his leaders and employees to create a remarkable impact on people’s lives. This ties in with the company’s personalised approach to people development, taking each talent’s interests and aspirations into consideration.
How does AbbVie’s career development strategy amplify the company’s impact?
“We are investing heavily in our talents to address the world’s most serious health issues with our therapeutic solutions, and empower people’s confidence with the advancement of aesthetic medicine. Our career initiatives aim to develop strong leaders through differentiated rotational assignments and progressive learning experiences across functions and markets. This exposure is critical in cross-cultural management in our region so managers and markets are empowered through robust cross-functional collaboration.
With the global competition to attract top talent, it is important to create a motivating and supportive environment to inspire our managers to bring out the best in their teams.”
Where are the growth opportunities for AbbVie’s employees in Singapore?
“The uniquely Singapore proposition, with a footprint encompassing its manufacturing, pharma and aesthetic businesses, creates for AbbVie’s employees here in Singapore, a cross-pollination of ideas and an enabling environment for innovation. Our talents are also taking the opportunity to move laterally across the businesses and globally. The wider exposure bodes well for their professional development.
Our employees are empowered to chart their own career paths within the organisation. We leverage global and regional development programmes for this purpose – to help our people gain enterprise-critical capabilities so they learn the skills they need for their roles and, ultimately, unleash their potential.”
Creating impact on...
Patients:
- Over 62 million people in more than 175 countries* are treated by AbbVie’s products every year.
Community:
- Week of Possibilities
An annual event where employees give back to their local communities through volunteerism and hands-on service projects.
- Employee giving and matching
The AbbVie Foundation matches employee donations dollar for dollar, up to $5,000 per employee per year. It raised US$23.7 million for 11,400 non-profits worldwide in 2021*.
Employees:
- Learn.Develop.Perform
An award-winning programme that offers easily accessible and personalised development that is tailored to each employee’s interests. - 76 per cent of employees globally indicated that AbbVie equips them well to perform their role**.
Culture:
- Celebration of Culture
A celebration of the colourful and diverse cultures within AbbVie. It is an opportunity for employees to collectively amplify and reinforce the Ways We Work, facilitate transparent conversations and celebrate local culture initiatives on a global scale. - 82 per cent of employees globally are engaged at work**.
*Figures taken from AbbVie’s Impact by the Numbers 2021 report.
**Figures taken from a 2021 employee survey.
**Figures taken from a 2021 employee survey.
