By Engku Shariful Azni
Pix Shahiddan Saidi

BANGI, 4 Mar 2016 – Multinationals want employees who are productive with high moral values, said Michaela Dinboeck, President  and Managing Director of Novartis Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Apart from doing well in studies, students also need to be ethical, said Dinboeck in her lecture as part of the CEO Talk series  held at the Faculty of Pharmacy, The National University of Malaysia (UKM).

Dinboeck, who was recently conferred the title Adjunct Professor by UKM, said she is also seeking graduates from different backgrounds such as accounting, corporate communications and other disciplines to work at Novartis although it is a medical-based company.

“We are not necessarily always looking at what you’ve studied, that will be the last one because we’ll look at what you’ve done first.

“No matter what you’ve studied, it depends on who you are and where you can go,” she said during the Q&A session.

She stressed that students should always seek for experience whether it is an  internship or part time job to polish their soft skills, especially in communication skills.

Prof Dinboeck, who started her career in  marketing, said the marketing field is a  good start for students to brush up their communication skills because they will  need to deal with many people and make decisions, while also overcoming  nervousness.

Novartis Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd is holding some programmes for university students such as the International Bio Camp that brings local students to the main office at Switzeland for three days for a team-building seminar and exposure to industry, while learning to make good presentations.

The CEO Talk series is held for the company to guide students on their chosen  career path after graduation.