Read the Conversation
EF: What was your mission given when appointed?
RKS: Our mission is clear. It is about how we reshape GSK Singapore as an innovative biopharma company and as a trusted partner, and bringing solutions to advance healthcare and Singapore within the baseline business which is predominantly general medicines and vaccines. Over the next year, we will be starting to bring in innovative value medication.
EF: Considering the ageing population in Singapore, what does GSK’s product portfolio look like and how does that translate to Singapore?
RKS: The aging population is an important concern in Singapore. Additionally, the largest healthcare reform is taking place for the first time in two decades, called Healthier Singapore, and it is focused on preventative care. We are partnering with the ministry to make sure that we are bringing our innovative medicine and vaccine portfolio. As an example, we have solutions for health matters that range from oncology to multiple myeloma, over the last year we have had three approvals just in our portfolio. We also have different types of vaccines that tackle therapeutic areas that predominantly appear in the elderly population. Regarding the quality of life, we have a biological indicator for nasal polyps, allowing people to breathe and smell better. These are just some examples of innovative healthcare that we are bringing to Singaporeans, especially the 50-plus aging population.
EF: In the context of GSK’s investment in sustainability and being awarded the Access Initiative Index, how do such aspects translate to Singapore?
RKS: Access to medicines continues to be a very important global level. However regarding how we continue to foster our trusted partnership in Singapore and how we are continuing to play a pivotal role, we have been here for 60 years, and we were the first global healthcare company to establish a presence in Singapore in 1959. We are one of the biggest contributors to Singapore’s biomedical science industry to the tune of $2.5 billion in investments. In terms of sustainability, that continues to be a focus. We have a pipeline of assets which are focused on reducing our carbon footprint, and we are a big leader in respiratory medications. When it comes to innovation in our devices, sustainability and reduction in carbon footprint continue to be at the top of our minds.
EF: How do you balance manufacturing in Singapore with prioritising resources and partnering with various stakeholders?
RKS: Singapore continues to be an important hub for us, and that’s why there has been an increase in investments. We most recently opened our manufacturing facility in Jurong. Another important aspect is our oncology assets, not just for Singapore but globally. This continues to be a key focus for us, and we continue to be a partnership hub at the heart of what we do, all stakeholders are equally important, including the Health Promotion Board and the Ministry of Health. It is also about how we partner to deliver innovative medicines and vaccines to the rest of the world. That is the importance of Singapore being a global hub based in Asia.
EF: For an executive who managed through the pandemic and is now managing post-pandemic, what are the skill sets needed and what are the lessons to distil?
RKS: Agility is key. We cannot allow our processes to slow us down, we need to be making decisions with pace and making sure we are solving problems with our partners. One example is our partnership with the ministry. As part of this partnership, we made sure we brought the antibody treatment to Singapore at pace and supported Singaporeans ensuring our commitment to fighting the pandemic. We can no longer work with the mentality of taking 3 months to make a decision. It’s about how to respond to change and market dynamics with speed and landing impact in the market. Alongside agility, are learning and excellence in execution, being able to operationalise through a complex environment.
EF: What message do you have for investors regarding the direction of the pharmaceutical sector?
RKS: GSK’s vision is around uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together, technology is the keyword. As part of the transformation that we have been through there has also been a true digital transformation in GSK with examples such as leveraging digital data and technology to bring medicines to patients at pace. I believe that the pandemic drove an exponential transformation that we were not anticipating but we have been at the forefront of leading the way in terms of how to connect with our customers by using innovative measures such as hybrid methods. This then gives them the right content through the right channel when they want it and how they want it. Our customers are like anyone else, they like to consume information at their fingertips as opposed to the traditional model. In terms of what the message to investors would be, we continue to focus on growth and delivering operational efficiency, but growth is at the forefront. We are the second fastest growing company in Singapore, and we have the ambition to be number one this year.
EF: How do you attract the best and the brightest of the new generation and how do you grow talent?
RKS: We are a modern employer, and we are very much in favour of adopting the hybrid working policy. In terms of how we grow talent, I have been here for 18 years, but I continue to stay motivated and excited about our mission and at the heart of that are the people and patients and bringing innovative solutions at a strong pace to them. For anyone coming to GSK, it is important to know the mission at the heart. The second piece is the culture, what makes GSK a special place to work is the culture, our people, and how we deliver performance in the right way. In terms of making, it attractive I believe that it is about bringing all these aspects together to get the best people in the market onto your team.
We must be role models in terms of being a modern employer. Coming into the office means that we are collaborating, having the right career conversations, and mentors supporting employees. At GSK we are very clear about owning your development. If you have equal accountability, then so does your line leader. Of equal importance is building a culture where people thrive, this continues to be at the heart of how we get our people excited and motivated. Since you spend a considerable time at work, it needs to be a special place and somewhere you want to come to every day.
EF: How do you see digitalization changing access to the market and the way public areas work?
RKS: I believe that it already has, and we should focus on futureproofing ourselves, that’s one impact of the pandemic and it’s here to stay now. There are different commercial strategies, and the way I apply digital data and technology to my classic medicine portfolio is different to how I apply this to my speciality or oncology medicine portfolio. This is where we need to be comfortable with the nuances because the specialist customers want a different digital interaction than the general practitioners or someone who has consistently used a household brand. How you are consuming digital care and to land this with the impact it’s important to understand the customer inside and then break it down into content, the right channel, and the right place. I lived and breathed in this area for five years before I came to Singapore six months ago, so it is something I am passionate about.
What you measure is what you get, one of the key lessons was to keep things simple and make sure they are aligned at the top of the house to see what the representatives see at the bottom of the house. The minute that KPIs are disjointed, you start to see differential execution. The key was aligning at the top in terms of what are the key KPIs to measure and focusing on outcome based KPIs versus lead metrics.
EF: How do you attract resources from headquarters?
RKS: Singapore continues to be a global, regional, and local operating company and the local operating is what I manage. We have global teams also based out of Singapore and this helps to create synergies between global, regional, and local roles. For example, over the last six months, I have sent talent to global roles and absorbed talent from the region and into the market. We have a nice pathway and that makes Singapore attractive for people because they don’t always have to move to London to gain global experience. Our pitch is quite easy.
EF: What attracted you to this position and what would you like to accomplish in the next three years in this position?
RKS: What excited me the most was bringing innovative medicines at pace in a market that values innovation. We are shifting from a classic medicine and vaccines portfolio to an innovative medicine and vaccines portfolio at the forefront, partnering with the ministry to land this. Fast forward three years, two things in terms of the legacy I would like to leave, the first is a purpose driven culture. If this is done right then I know that performance will follow, that’s the second point. This means making sure that we have launched our innovative healthcare portfolio and brought it to as many Singaporeans as possible and accessing patients. A healthier Singapore will make it easier for us and if we partner well, we will be at the forefront in terms of driving incremental access.
