Tell us a bit about yourself

Hi there, my name is Lukas and I am working as a health economist at Roche. In my free time I enjoy being outdoors and travelling. As a native of Switzerland, I am an avid skier and spend most of my winter holidays in the mountains. In the summer I travel extensively and enjoy exploring new places and cultures in South America or Asia.

After completing high school in my hometown of Basel I discovered my passion for economics and completed a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Basel. I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in economics and enrolled at the University of St. Gallen.

I first joined Roche while writing my Master’s thesis in collaboration with the Health Economics team and remained with the team after earning my degree.

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

I work at the Roche site in Basel, which is Roche’s headquarters and one of its largest sites, with around 10,000 employees from over 90 nations. The site’s urban location makes it very accessible. Due to the substantial growth of Roche over the last few years the site has expanded significantly, and what will be Switzerland’s tallest building is currently being built here.

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

Growing up in Basel, I always had a connection to the pharmaceutical industry that defines this city. I recall walking past the Roche site and wondering what all these people did every day. When I got the opportunity to write my Master’s thesis in health economics at Roche, I realised that it would be a great way to combine my interest in pharmaceutics with my passion for economics.

What is your current position at Roche?

I work as a health economist in the Global Pricing & Market Access department. Our responsibility is to determine how much a drug is worth to individual patients and to society as a whole. As governmental healthcare budgets are limited, it is crucial for decision-makers to be informed about the benefits and costs of each decision. Our work promotes informed and evidence-based decision-making for the benefit of patients.

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

All around the world, various challenges ranging from financial constraints to inadequate infrastructure prevent patients from being able to access the medicines that meet their needs. Our goal is to overcome these hurdles and to provide access for patients in need. Our job is therefore at the core of what patients need next.

How would you describe Roche as an employer?

At Roche, a scientific approach drives the culture and delivering benefits to patients is at the centre of the decisions we make. Roche invests heavily in developing its employees, and as an example of this I had the opportunity to complete a job rotation in the UK office to get first-hand experience in the local market. At the Basel site you can attend training courses in all areas, benefit from free medical services and enjoy sports activities.

How would you describe the people working here?

People in my team come from very diverse educational and cultural backgrounds. Our team consists of 40 people representing around 20 different nationalities and a wide mix of educational backgrounds such as medicine, pharmaceuticals, statistics, mathematics, and economics. However, we all share a scientific approach to making the right discoveries for the right reasons.