HELPING people fight disease and gain access to the most innovative healthcare solutions are instilled in Hong Chow’s vision of her job and, indeed, her life. As general manager of Shanghai Roche Pharmaceutical Ltd, she has committed herself and her team to serving patients.

A childhood dream
to serve patients

Born into a Wenzhou family with a medical background, Hong always wanted to become a doctor. She was 12 when the family moved to Germany. Despite not taking the examination for medical school due to some personal reasons, she never gave up on her dream.

After graduating as a business management major, Hong chose to enter the pharmaceutical industry because it kept alive her dream of improving healthcare.

“It’s the passion for improving patients’ lives which gives every day of my work in the past 18 years a meaningful purpose,” she said in an interview with Shanghai Daily at Roche’s China headquarters in the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park earlier this month.

A leadership
move from Europe to China

Hong joined Roche March last year. Prior to that, she worked at Bayer for 17 years in various leadership roles in Germany, Singapore and China. After spending almost five years in China, people assumed she would return to Germany for a headquarter job like most other expatriates, but when Roche called, she rose up to the new challenge.

Hong shared the reasons for deciding to join Roche. What initially attracted her to the first interview was the company’s innovative product portfolio and promising pipeline. During the course of the interviews, however, she learned that what makes Roche stand out was its core values and culture, which resonated with her own beliefs.

“All interviewers, including the CEO Dr. Severin Schwan, focused on two areas, which were ‘people leadership’ and ‘patient focus.’ I realized that Roche was looking for a ‘people leader’ to build an organization with passion and determination to improve patients’ lives in China,” she recalled.

Hong was moved by the company ethos of putting patients at the core of its business. When she asked Roche’s global management about their expectations on China, the consistent answer was accelerating the introduction of new drugs into China so that more patients will benefit.

Since joining the company, Hong has spent considerable time getting to know the team and customers, meeting with medical representatives and managers at all levels, and reinforcing Roche’s values of integrity, courage and passion in all staff.

“Their strong sense of responsibility and purpose moved me deeply,” she said of staff in China.

A vision
to inspire the team

One can feel a nautical atmosphere upon entering Roche’s China headquarters at Zhangjiang Park. The campus has recreational areas which include a white sand beach and a lighthouse, for which Hong was the architect. With the lighthouse Hong intended to create a symbol for Roche’s motto “Doing now what patients need next.”

Hong always has a vision to create a working environment which makes employees feel comfortable and stimulated by the company’s core values.

She explained that the nautical theme was chosen because working in the pharmaceutical industry today is like sailing on the sea. “There are waves and storms along the way, but the ship must be kept on an even keel and sail at the right pace. We have to adapt our strategy and commercial model to the changing market environment, but our commitments to patients will always serve as a lighthouse and guide us to sail far and safe.”

“Everyone in Roche is making a supreme effort to fulfill the mission of ‘Doing now what patients need next’,” she said. In order to realize this mission, Hong believes that employees should be encouraged to voice their own thoughts and engage in developing innovative solutions.

Over the years, Hong has worked with people from different cultures, learning to respect the diversity of cultures and background. Hong is a strong believer that business, especially innovation, thrives in a culture with diversity and inclusion. She values critical thinking and encourages people to develop their own points of view and to contribute their own ideas instead of always relying on the instruction from the leader. She likes to solicit input and feedback before making business decisions. However after decision is made she expects ownership and discipline from her team to make it happen.

When asked about the reputation of the pharmaceutical industry, Hong said that if doing the right things with integrity, people working in the industry can be proud of their work. She encourages team members to explain the meaning of their work to their family and friends.

She shared a story from her own family, back when her son was young and much attached to her. “Whenever I was leaving for a business trip, he would grasp me by my legs and cry,” she said. As her son grew up, he developed more understanding of the importance of her work. “He knows that I strive to help and bring hope to others, and that makes him proud of the work I do,” she added.

Just like the lighthouse at Roche China campus, Hong hopes that it will inspire her team to take pride in their work and do the best they can to help more patients.

A commitment
to benefit more Chinese patients

For Hong, a patient-focused approach means Roche needs to be always committed to helping more patients receive the best medicines and healthcare solutions. As the first multinational pharmaceutical to set up in Zhangjiang in 1994, Roche has been relentless in expansion and in driving the entire value chain in China with its international standards. All the efforts have so far paid off but Roche has its eyes set beyond these achievements.

Its initiatives were accelerated recently as the company announced the completion of a state-of-the-art expansion at Zhangjiang with an investment of nearly 900 million yuan (US$137.8 million), following a three-year construction period and the launch of the construction of its Pharma Research Innovation Center in Shanghai. It will have an investment of 860 million yuan.

The new Innovation Center will help hasten top-level research and development capabilities. It’s a milestone in “accelerating the development of a science-technology innovation” and another example of the company’s long-term commitment to China.

“It is our common goal that one day, the research and breakthroughs by Roche scientists in China will become innovative solutions to better serve patients in China and beyond,” Hong said. “By putting patients’ needs at the heart of our work, my team and I hope to bring more innovative new drugs to China, promising those afflicted with diseases a healthier tomorrow.”