In 2018, I had the chance to join the Finance Perspectives Programme and since then I have worked in Budapest, Stockholm, Johannesburg, Rotkreuz and Brussels – only scratching the surface of what is Finance at Roche.
The Finance Perspectives Programme helps me to develop because of the wide array of topics and problems we are confronted with. One day might be about solving a supply-chain question related to a pandemic and the next working on HIV-testing on a continental scale.
What I would recommend to people who are interested in the Finance Perspectives Programme is to be humble and open-minded, and be able to reflect on their past experiences and learn from them. Connect with the alumni as well as the current participants to discover the wide spectrum of opportunities offered by the programme.
Being able to apply your skills for a greater cause is always satisfying, and this is what you can do at Roche. If I reflect on the last six months, my work has helped improve waste management for labs in Africa, support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the EMEA-LATAM region and get our teams in Belgium working more efficiently together for our patients.
Having strong passions, the work/life balance is a very important element to me and Roche offers a great environment to develop as an individual, both at work and outside of work. Everywhere I have been so far, my colleagues have been welcoming and I felt part of the team from day one.
A few months after starting the programme, I took some days off and brought my bicycle to Corsica for an epic adventure: an ultra-cycling race of 700km and 13,000m of climbing. During the race, which I completed in a bit more than two days, I was receiving messages from colleagues on my phone and they were following me live on the map, supporting me for every climb. During the long hours of the race, I never felt alone!