In a series of articles preceding the September Pharma HR Conference in Philadelphia, we are discussing current issues with industry human resources leaders. Senior HR managers, VP´s and their peers will convene in the City of brotherly love to share their insights, speak about their experiences and challenges and network.One of them will be Renée De Franco (Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Head, People & Organizational Capability), who shared her thoughts on some of the dynamics, affecting recent climate. 

Maros Petres, AmericanLeaders (MP):What are the most visible industry dynamics and how will healthcare reform initiatives in the US might impact Pharma business in both the short and long term? 

Renée De Franco (Novartis):“With the uncertainties of healthcare reform, changing market dynamics in the areas of physician access, the decline in branded TRx market, thin product pipelines and the need to supplement with in-licensing product, there are multiple challenges that translate into the need to ensure the right talent pipeline. Workforce planning is becoming much more important to Pharma organizations and the implementation of a more consistent, rigorous approach to ensure we have the right capabilities both now and in the future.”

Why is it important for companies like Novartis to redefine skills sets during current shift caused by the healthcare reform?

“The way we will approach the market from a sales and marketing perspective is changing and will continue to evolve for many reasons, ie, those stated above.  Therefore, we need to understand the capabilities of our talent base today, how they are positioned to support the evolving business strategy and understand and define the capabilities we will need to support achievement of our business strategy in the future.  By taking this look at our talent in this way (with the use of workforce planning methodology) we will be able to understand our gap and provide urselves o time to develop or recruit the talent we will need in the horizon of our business strategy.”

September Pharma HR Conference (Sep. 22-24, Philadelphia, PA) will discuss pressing issues that HR managers in the Pharma and Biotech industries must face in the present economic climate. Key topics, put together by our Advisors selected by American Leaders  include Identification of HR challenges in times of turbulence, Understanding the role of HR around the M&A process and many others. For more information about the event, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit Pharma HR conference website.