Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Aymeric Lagarde and I am from France. I was born in Reims, the capital of the Champagne region in the north-eastern part of the country.  

A few years after earning my first degree in electronics and telecommunications engineering, I completed an MBA at Cambridge University. I joined Roche in September 2007 in an HR role.

One of my many passions outside work is water polo. For 20 years of my life, I spent part of nearly every day at a swimming pool.  Even though I no longer play water polo, I still occasionally enjoy watching a game on weekends.

In which Roche location are you currently working and what can you tell us about that location as a work environment?

I am currently working at the global headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. What I like about this location is the diverse, multicultural environment. I live in France and commute to work in Basel every morning. It takes me 45 minutes door to door, which is tolerable.

Why did you decide to join Roche and why at this location?

I joined Roche because of the many career opportunities available here and because Roche is committed to transforming patients’ lives.

As the global headquarters of Roche, Basel offers more HR opportunities than I can even think of, from global strategic functions to regional and local operational roles.  

The Roche purpose is one of the main reasons why I am here. I do not have a medical degree, but by hiring and developing business leaders, I feel I am doing something that helps save and improve lives. The first day I joined Roche I thought about my grandfather, who had died of cancer a few years earlier. I still very often think about the impact my work has on patients’ lives.

What is your current position at Roche?

I am currently a Regional HR Business Partner in our Pharma division for EEMEA (Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa), where I am part of a team that supports General Managers/Country Managers in these 84 countries. I took this role nearly one year ago and I am really enjoying the diversity I encounter every day, working with three continents that have very distinct cultures. Having previously supported the business in the United States and in Europe, I have gained a whole new perspective working in these regions with new challenges and opportunities. The aim of my role is to ensure that more and more patients in these countries (even the ones facing difficult political or macroeconomic environments) have access to our products.

How is your job connected to “Doing now what patients need next”?

Let me give you an example: in many EEMEA countries, most breast cancers are detected at a very late stage, often too late for a cure or even treatment. I hire, develop and support the teams that work closely with stakeholders such as governments and patient associations in the various countries to promote earlier detection and easier access to our medicines.

How would you describe Roche as an employer?

The first thing I would say is that the Roche culture of focusing on people development means that many opportunities are available here. Our leaders and managers encourage their people to apply on other jobs that will help their development. Over the past seven years, I have held three different jobs in three different functions and geographies. Much more than just making training available, Roche supports a development culture where managers and other senior leaders take the time to coach, mentor and provide feedback.

How would you describe the people working here?

Given the size of Roche Basel, it is highly diverse and multicultural. In my first job, our team consisted of five employees representing all five continents. Beyond the wide range of nationalities, however, what I find particularly refreshing are all the other diversities that make Roche such a great place to work. Instead of promoting structured, predefined career tracks, Roche focuses on personalised career plans. This means that team members are often very diverse in background, education and mindset. I believe this to be one of Roche’s key competitive advantages. This is what makes us more innovative.

What can you tell about the current job openings in your department?

There are always HR opportunities in Basel, which are visible externally on www.roche.com/careers. In addition, we regularly seek talents who are interested in working in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

What would you advise job seekers who want to join us?

View our vacancies within the Human Resources department to learn more about starting your career at Roche http://www.roche.com/careers/switzerland/jobsearch.