Read the Conversation
EF: Is 2024 an opportunity or a challenge for you?
PA: I see 2024 having both challenges and opportunities. Poland's GDP is growing continuously. Recall that throughout the 2008 Lehman Brothers crisis, Poland was the only country in Europe to have a positive economy with a growth rate of above 1%, which is why the European Union named Poland "Green Island" at that time. Poland's overall model of economic growth is, in some way, quite robust against a wide range of challenges and adverse trends. This is a crucial issue since, as is evident, today's world is completely unpredictable.
Openness to Europe is a feature of the new government. Due to persisting conflict between Poland and the EU, Poland was the only nation left out of this post-COVID-19 recovery plan, with a total value of almost €25 billion (in grants, besides €33,5 billion in special loans). We presently will be having a pro-European government, and the release of the funds is one of the future prime minister's objectives, to be elected and sworn in by the president shortly. This will impact not only healthcare but the entire economy.
Also, I am proud that we opened our public healthcare and educational systems to the roughly 2.5 million migrants who have been fleeing from Ukraine since last year, and our economy has been growing.
According to the most recent economic outlooks, growth is projected to continue. The Polish zloty is strengthening against the euro and the dollar, indicating that Poland is undergoing positive changes.
EF: Fujifilm Healthcare Europe company was recently announced in Europe. How does this affect your operations in Poland?
PA: As the healthcare business in Fujifilm was growing, the executives in Japan realized that there was a need to increase focus on healthcare. Thus, the need for strong leadership that prioritizes healthcare became increasingly apparent. Mr. Goto is currently the global CEO of Fujifilm, and he comes from the healthcare business. Since he became CEO, he has been working to improve the organization to better cover the healthcare needs in the market.
We firmly feel that diagnostics play a critical role in the entire process, from detection to treatment and even prevention in between. Increasing the scope of our diagnostic imaging offering is our main approach. We use highly advanced technologies and after acquiring HITACHI Medical Systems we are among the top Diagnostic Imaging companies in the world. The key is also the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is greatly raising the possibility and chance of early cancer detection.
The new Fujifilm Healthcare division will allow more resources for R&D funded by turnover and to have more control and autonomy over strategic decisions made within the business. This is the first year that Fujifilm Healthcare Europe has been established. We strive to establish a business division that is exclusively dedicated to healthcare. After HITACHI Medical Systems acquisition my main goal is to logically combine these two companies and portfolios into one for the benefit of the Polish healthcare system as well.
I am a medical doctor, and it comes naturally to me to understand what healthcare professionals need or require. I believe in an organization that is working closely with healthcare professionals. Our new brand campaign should shortly reflect it so stay tuned!
EF: Could you elaborate on the importance of your Polish operations to the group?
PA: The Polish economy is expanding at a faster rate than the one of the average European economy. Poland has one of the best command of the English language in Europe. As a strategic European country, Poland has been having substantial growth drawing in various multinational corporations to offer shared services. Poland will almost certainly experience this kind of growth when I observe that many executives are coming to the country to discover the foundation for success. Also, Fujifilm Europe operates its shared services company in Gdańsk, Poland.
EF: Could you elaborate on how you keep your employees engaged, and how you attract talent?
PA: We completed an engagement survey later in 2023, and I was pleased with the results. We gathered our employees' feedback as to how the company’s vision resonates with them and whether this creates a good base for their engagement. I am proud of the results, as we ranked very well not only against Fujifilm's average but also against our competitors’ benchmark in the market.
Twice a year, I host kickoffs for the entire organization. We honor those who have worked for the company for the most years, and I have had many people celebrate their 25th anniversary at work which tells a lot. As a leader, it is fulfilling to see members of the same family of different generations working in Fujifilm.
EF: I am aware that you attended a conference in Chicago during the final week of November.
PA: I was in Chicago attending RSNA (Radiology Society for North America) the last week of November, as it is the largest medical event in our field. It was impressive to see all the advancements that are being presented. We are introducing a new CT scanner, and MRI machines among others, and, applied uses of AI.
Another field we cover, Endoscopy is growing twice as fast as diagnostic imaging. It makes a big difference to deploy the best white light-creation technology and combine it with AI; this is why our products are a tremendous success on the market.
As a medical professional, I have seen numerous studies that demonstrate there are notable variations in the rate of cancer detection between a young doctor performing an endoscopy and an experienced doctor performing one. Learning is a process for younger doctors, but some lesions, like the flat ones that are not in polyps, would be easy to miss for these young doctors who have less experience. The technology that assists professionals in seeing things has a significant impact on the outcomes, and having excellent equipment improves the detection rate. AI can make sure the doctor doesn't overlook anything crucial in real time.
EF: How are you keeping the doctors up to date on the newest advancements in technology through education?
PA: My area of expertise is gynecology, and I have previous ultrasound experience. However, I gained knowledge of ultrasound by using it in my work as a hospital doctor. At present, our son is enrolled in the first year of the Medical University of Warsaw, and I find myself drawing comparisons between his academic experiences and my own university education. There's a big distinction. Biophysics was one of the preclinical modules covered in the first two years of medical school. For me, there was nothing more to it than studying from books. However, I was taken aback when our son showed us his own photo and revealed that he had already begun to experiment with a portable ultrasound device during classes. As you can see, a young doctor candidate has been exposed to cutting-edge technology from the start. This enables these young doctors to finish as soon as possible, everything has been accelerated.
Rather than needing to wait two or three years after graduation to obtain the newest technology, students now have access to it while they are still in school. This is an excellent illustration of how, evidently, the entire educational system must change and that new skills are required. Many of my medical friends are much more interested in IT and AI technology and find it fascinating. After completing my studies, I found diagnostic imaging to be uninteresting at that time because it involved chemistry, dark room time, and reading 2D images on the X-ray film. All of Fujifilm's machines now have settings based on very advanced digital technology. Because diagnostic imaging is so fascinating, I am pushing also our son to think about pursuing it in the future.
EF: Raising awareness of early diagnosis, prevention, and diagnosis is crucial, particularly in light of Poland's and Europe's aging populations. How is Fujifilm addressing this?
PA: I believe there is a positive shift in awareness generally. In addition to being a doctor, I completed postgraduate studies in clinical nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic as it was possible online during week-ends. People can prevent a lot of diseases on their own by changing their diet and habits. Society is moving in this direction, and we are following suit by avoiding obesity, avoiding diabetes, and increasing physical activity. We are aging, so something is changing. There are currently 38 million people living in our country, down from 40 million in the past, as the birth rate is insufficient to keep up with the death rate. We must take action to lengthen or improve society's lifespan.
We are in the breast cancer screening area, and our equipment is truly state-of-the-art. With the smallest pixel-size detector available, our mammography system is among the best on the market. We have a public program wherein women who meet the requirements are invited to take this exam for free. Poland's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic is commendable, when everyone in the region was fighting the disease because it caused the deaths of people, Poland continued despite all odds breast cancer screening program. Poland decided to proceed with the full analog to digital conversion of mammography during that time.
When combining our machines with tomosynthesis, contrast-enhanced mammography, digital mammography offers a whole new range of capabilities in terms of quality and potential for early detection, so. Since the beginning of this program three years ago, Fujifilm has become the top supplier of these machines to the Polish market, I am incredibly proud of the way we are contributing.
We are pleased that the government is funding breast cancer screening, they are also subsidizing and providing free screening for lower gastrointestinal endoscopies after reaching a certain age level. We are a very active company providing cutting-edge equipment for the country and society with these two projects. Talking government – one of the first initiatives to be embraced by the government is the long-awaited reimbursement of the in-vitro fertilization program (IVF) as it was in the past. More couples could have children as a result. Fujifilm is a strong partner to all these clinics also offering AI to help embryologists in identifying embryos with the highest potential success rate.
EF: What will you be most excited to celebrate your soon 15 years after such a successful career?
PA: Let me start by saying that I am still the ‘company doctor’ too. When I first started 12 years ago the company wasn’t doing financially well in the CEE region, including Poland.
I am proud that we are now one of the most profitable regions for Fujifilm Europe. From a business standpoint, this is undoubtedly my greatest accomplishment; in fact, our current tagline is 'Never stop'. As you might expect, we continue to improve with every year. This has translated to better well-being for the employees who work at Fujifilm Poland. They can now take advantage of excellent external development. For my part, I'm proud of what we are doing for society, particularly concerning endoscopy and mammography, as we are at the forefront of cancer early detection. That's what fills me with immense pride.
