Advances and Barriers Part 2: Turning words into action on the road to a more diverse leadership in life sciences procurement

OB: When we talk about diversity and inclusion, people in Germany often only think of men and women. Clearly, there is much more to it than that. I see that Roche has D&I goals as well as leadership gender goals.

Marielle Beyer: Yes, we have moved on from just the leadership gender goal alone. 

The important question is how do we define diversity and inclusion for ourselves? This is also a very important topic for Roche in general and the procurement function is no exception.

The conclusion should be that the management teams in the various companies should think about what kind of workforce they have and what potential there is within it. 

At Roche we have articulated an ambition whereby "diversity  in leadership mirrors our workforce". So, if I look at my workforce, I personally have global procurement in 22 locations, and there we define diversity as broadly as possible, from gender to ethnicity, religion, sexuality, disabilities. Looking at all of that, we are relatively well-positioned in the organisation. 

Women often get to the point where starting a family is an issue, and that slows them down incredibly. I think that is a great pity. 

Companies should do more, for example, when it comes to childcare, even when the children are sick. Ways to support mothers with a career are not that difficult, but this approach is still missing. For example, why can't senior roles be job shares or part-time? 

I think I could do it myself, and it would be okay for my boss as long as the job is done. 

China, for example, is an important market for us, but there is a lack of female managers from that region. 

OB: There are clearly differences in culture in different regions, for example between Germany, USA, Switzerland, Asia. How does this play out?

MB: That's right. Roche is a decentralised company and if there is to be a global strategy, there will always be room for local interpretation, especially in the area of D&I. This is extremely important. The USA, for example, treats the topic somewhat differently than in the Headquarters in Basel, and that in turn is somewhat different from the way it is handled in Germany.

In a global company like Roche, you have to evaluate carefully what makes sense, where and how, and what is locally appealing for the country and culture in question. 

For example, I have created a female pipeline for leadership roles in procurement. When we do our talent planning, I will think in the medium or long-term, and consider whether a woman can grow into a role. But it will never be the only criterion. 

Other factors of diversity are also important. For example, the ability to do justice to the business partner and the task. You cannot promote diversity in all circumstances, but you can ensure that you have a good balance and that you attach great importance to it.

OB: What does your leadership team look like, how diverse is your team?

MB: I was lucky that when I set up global procurement, I had as many women as men. I also had people of different ethnicities in the team. But in the end, you have to be able to do a job and I was lucky to have such a diverse team with me pretty much from the beginning.

OB: What about recruiting and getting the right balance?

There are still challenges with making sure you get the fullest range of talent. Not too long ago, I received a list of potential candidates for a position and all were male. From a recruitment standpoint there is an opportunity to address this differently. I was really frustrated that there was not a diverse list. Even though there are some functions that are heavily male dominated, there is no excuse for a male only list. 

There is no place for managers who do not attach any value to diversity or who only want diversity in other areas but theirs.

OB: What I hear is that the role models or bosses who also employ women are often still too few.

MB: That's also true. There are many, but not all. 

I would be happy when the day comes that bosses tell mothers (or fathers) in leading roles something like: "Hey, you have kids, do 80% and I'll take that part off your hands”. 

Nowadays, you have to make a comment every now and then, so that people realise how old-school they are when they express those conservative points of view. 

OB: What would have to happen, from a board perspective, for something like this not to happen?

MB: There is a group-wide D&I strategy at Roche. But now, the deeds have to follow the words. Companies are always very good at developing D&I strategies, but the real challenge is in executing them. 

I am very fortunate to work for Roche with Dr Severin Schwan, CEO of the Roche Group, a very impressive leader who is open in the media about D&I. His efforts to embed this approach in the complete culture of the company are remarkable. 

OB: How do you change people's behaviour and attitudes towards diversity?

MB: Even the most open-minded person has an "unconscious bias". What we have done in this direction is training on how to counteract this. You often need an assessment from another person too. In the end, it is all about mind-set and behaviour, which play a major part in this.

I think something important came up with the Black Lives Matter discussion. "You have to speak up". When you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation where something is clearly wrong, you have to speak up and say something about it. 

I had a co-worker who told me that she deliberately kept her ex-husband’s last name after the divorce, because that name did not suggest that she could have a darker skin colour. 

These examples are very sad. I can't think of anything else to do than to "slide in" and say something in those situations. Point out someone’s prejudice when it happens. 

OB: What would you say to younger women, especially in procurement? What are the topics you would recommend in order to advance their careers? 

MB: I tell younger women that they must not stand in their own way. Sometimes that happens. 

It is important to have a voice. You cannot just accept things the way they are; you should be clear how you see the role working for you. Then, have the courage to continue up this career ladder. 

You need to think about whether you want to do the role, whether you will enjoy it, whether you will have an influence, and what happens if you become a mother, for example. 

You must be prepared to take your supervisor(s) to task and say that you would like to work part-time (or not), if that is the way it works best for you.

Women should also support each other. Women are good mentors and sponsors, so find someone who can support you and give you advice.

Today, being able to be supportive to women, is something I value very highly in my function as a leader.  When women with a career ahead of them think it is time to plan a family, that shouldn't be an obstacle. We still see far too few part-time positions for senior roles. 

OB: Women do not necessarily help other women because they might not have had it easy themselves. Is that changing? 

MB: Yes, women will extend their elbows faster if they are in a defensive position. Plus, there is also a lot of competition these days.

I think we need to turn that around and think, "How can we be successful together?”

I do not know whether this has happened much, but there are certainly a few good examples. 

I promote this thinking a lot in my organisation. I hope that women see that the energy you put into competing is better applied elsewhere. We should all be thinking, “How do I promote women in my environment, how do I help them to develop further?”

OB: Finally, no conversation these days can avoid a reflection on COVID-19, so what are the main issues that the CPO in Life Sciences will have to grapple with in a post-COVID world?

MB: It’s the challenge all managers have in common: how do you keep a workforce engaged in such very difficult times?  People have had a difficult year.

The second is, procurement must develop further. There are transformation and digitalisation issues to confront. If you have those under control, and you can get through short-term changes well, then you have more flexibility.

I do not see any significant change in strategy. I think we have come through this well. 

At Roche, we already had good relations with important partners, so we were more agile. 

Basically, I would say that perhaps cooperation with suppliers could be more diverse. For example, involving even more start-ups.

Most pharmaceutical procurement organisations face similar challenges - they all have to deliver good procurement, they all have to digitalise. Some must also outsource more. Some have a strong focus on sustainability, and so do we. So I do not see a significant change in strategy. 

OB: Thank you very much Marielle, for your time and your insights on such important topics.