By Nastura Nasir
Pix Abd Ra’ai Osman

BANGI, Dec 28 2015 – Living abroad, travelling, learning foreign languages and gain a broad variety of experience would widen your perspective and thinking. This can help you better understand other cultures as a business leader, said  Michaela Dinboeck, the President and Managing Director of Novartis Malaysia.

Michaela advised prospective entrepreneurs to understand other economies, ways of being and societies beyond the borders of your own home so that you can have a business advantage.

“Learn a new language, work with other people to learn about their cultures and explore new ideas and prospects. It is important for students to have a deeper global awareness, understanding of other cultures and to get out of your comfort zone,”  she stated in her lecture at a townhall meeting dubbed  CEO @ Faculty Programme With Michaela Dinboeck, sponsored by the Office of Industry & Community Partnerships,  The National University of Malaysia (UKM) and the Healthcare Corporation, here on December 15.

She reckoned that to become a CEO one must be able to perform multiple roles and take cognizance of all aspects of the organization,

“You have to be able to design the strategy and direction of the organization, profit or loss of the company, develop and retain the talent and personnel control system, brand-building and the culture. In the end, you are responsible for everything that happens in the organization”.

“An individual must also be able to balance work with time to refresh and other health or sport opportunities. For that reason, there are some organisations that have a rest or “caring room” for staff to relax and refresh themselves before continuing their duties,” she explained.

Being a respected leader does not mean you would just communicate with your peers.

“Spend regular time communicating with your staff and customers to listen to their opinions, needs and ideas. Better understanding of your staff and customers will build relationship which will further enhance their efficiency,” she added.

The townhall-concept meeting was an innovative approach that was deemed a success because it not only attracted over 500 students, but also  academics and other staff of UKM.

Michaela has 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry, health care and medical equipment at the local, regional and global levels.

She joined Novartis in 1994, in marketing and later held various positions including Business Franchise and Head of Cardiovascular and Metabolism, Spain and Head of Specialty Medicines, Region Asia, Middle East and African Countries for Novartis, before helming the company in Malaysia.

The programme was an initiative of the Ministry of Higher Education under the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025. The programme aims to bring renowned CEOs of world-class multinationals to act as mentors at local public universities.

They would share their experiences and knowledge through a variety of sessions that are beneficial to academia and students. Some of the future townhall topics includes Pharmaceutical Clinical Development, Insights to How a Pharma Industry Work, Ethical Standards and Code of Conduct, Building Greater Access to Innovative Medicines, Quality Assurance and Quality Systems. All are welcome to join.