On the 19th of August 2021, we had our very first English webinar during which we were joined by Steven Profit, the GM of Novo Nordisk Taiwan, who gave us a comprehensive overview of Novo Nordisk and shared insights into the current trends within the company.
The webinar began with an inspiring self-introduction, during which Steve shared his pan-continental journey – starting as a United Nations Deputy Chief Inspector in the Middle East and moving up to his current placement (which brought him all the way from Novo Nordisk’s HQ in Denmark to Taiwan).
The presentation continued with the fascinating story of how the production of insulin was first introduced to Europe by the two key players who set a solid basis for Novo Nordisk – August and Marie Krogh.
What was even more fascinating and exciting, is that the CEO of Novo Nordisk has a vision of finding an ultimate cure for Type II Diabetes within the next decade, and hence the CEO aims to close its Type II Diabetes division in the near future.
Moving forward, Steve put the role and position of Novo Nordisk Taiwan into a global perspective. Finding out that Taiwan is one the biggest markets for Novo Nordisk in the world came as no surprise. This is especially due to Taiwan’s well-established health insurance and medication reimbursement system. On the other hand, it was quite shocking to find out that nearly half of Taiwan’s population is obese – making it the no.1 Asian nation with the highest percentage of obese people.
What came as a relief though, is that Novo Nordisk is constantly evolving its products and is making a conscious move to increase the sustainability of the company on a global level. We were informed by Steve that Novo Nordisk is currently researching biomaterials that could be used in the future for the production of safe yet biodegradable packaging for injectables.
Another initiative of Novo Nordisk which stood out to the audience was the company’s public reach-out and awareness-raising on health problems related to immobile lifestyles. We were presented with cheerful photos of group physical exercise events organized by Novo Nordisk Taiwan, as well as given a glimpse into Novo Nordisk’s bike team consisting of diabetic individuals.
Besides being informed about the company, its history, and recent initiatives, Steve also gave a briefing on current openings at Novo Nordisk Taiwan.
For recent and upcoming graduates, there is the local, 6-month Internship Programme: https://pharmpractice.kmu.edu.tw/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-Novo-Nordisk-Taiwan-Internship-Program.pdf
For recent and upcoming graduates who are wanting to kick start their career within the industry and who are mobile, there is the 2-year Graduate Programme: https://www.novonordisk.com/careers/early-career-programmes/graduate.html
Last but not least, for individuals with existing experience within the industry, there are local openings for senior roles: https://www.novonordisk.com/careers/early-career-programmes/graduate.html
At the end of the webinar, we had an interactive Q&A session during which topics such as “the increasing price of insulin in the world” and “tips on aligning one’s interests with those of a company” were discussed.
As always, the webinar was followed by an online breakout room networking event during which attendees got to know each other a bit better and exchanged contact information.
For those of you who missed this month’s event – worry not, for EBC will be hosting more events in the coming months. So stay tuned!
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