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EF: As the newly appointed General Manager for Roche Pharmaceuticals South Africa, can you share your vision and key strategies for leading the team and driving success in this role?
WC: Before joining Roche, I held diverse roles at Lundbeck, starting as a medical representative in 2002 and eventually assuming the position of County Manager in 2019. My career in the pharmaceutical industry began at Janssen-Cilag, where I completed a graduate program before moving to MSD between 2001 and 2002.
My academic background includes an Honors in Biotechnology from Western Cape. I further expanded my qualifications in Business Management, Marketing, and Leadership through esteemed programs, including those at Lutzen in Switzerland.
As a proud South African, I am filled with optimism for our passionate, diverse, and resilient country. I envision a future where healthcare is truly patient-centered and accessible to all patients across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Beyond my work at Roche, I enjoy spending time with my family, indulging in my love for reading, running, swimming, and keeping up to date with politics.
EF: How do you plan to navigate and ensure a successful onboarding process during the initial days in your role as the new General Manager of one of the most prestigious pharmaceutical organizations in the world?
WC: During the initial 30 days of my tenure as General Manager, my main emphasis was on active listening and learning. This involved gaining a profound understanding of the organization's culture and values. I prioritized engagement with key stakeholders, comprising team members, department heads, and other leaders. My aim was to comprehend their roles and expectations and to gather valuable insights into the organization's strengths. Simultaneously, I conducted a comprehensive assessment to analyze the broader market landscape, assess competition, and closely examine prevailing industry trends.
This effort was instrumental in identifying potential opportunities and challenges that would shape our strategy moving forward. As I progress into the second month, my focus will be on strategic planning, incorporating insights gained through my observations and assessments to establish short-term goals and KPIs that would seamlessly align with the overarching objectives of the organization. A crucial aspect of this process involves ensuring that the entire team is fully aligned. Effective communication plays a pivotal role. The approach fosters a sense of ownership and commitment among the team members, making them essential stakeholders in the organization's success.
Looking beyond the initial 90 days, my commitment remains steadfastly fixed on the long-term vision of the organization - ‘Doing now what patients need next.’ This ongoing focus on adaptability and forward-thinking has been and will continue to be a cornerstone of my leadership approach.
EF: How do you plan to assess and enhance patient access to healthcare across both the country and the sub-region, identifying and capitalizing on opportunities for growth in your new role as General Manager for Roche Pharmaceuticals South Africa and sub-regions?
WC: My role comes with a profound responsibility to assess patient access to healthcare not only within the country but also across the sub-region. This is a critical area that intersects with both public health and business strategy. At Roche, we have a unique opportunity to make a difference in Africa with a portfolio, solutions, and expertise that spans the whole patient journey. But we can only be successful in our quest for a healthier future for all people in Africa if we work together and clearly articulate not just the future we want to see, but our ideas for how to get there.
Roche's vision statement aligns with meeting patients' needs and being patient-centric proactively. Our vision statement is ‘Doing now what patients need next.’ Prompt access to therapeutics is urgently urgent, especially as patients have already experienced delays. By reducing wait times, Roche aims to provide appropriate treatment and make a meaningful impact on the broader socio-economic landscape in Africa.
I am committed to engaging with key stakeholders, including government health agencies, local healthcare providers, and patient advocacy groups. Their insights are invaluable in gaining a holistic understanding of the unique needs and obstacles faced by patients in different regions.
I see tremendous potential in leveraging technology and data analytics to optimize healthcare delivery. This includes the use of data to identify areas with high disease burden, forecast healthcare trends, and allocate resources efficiently.
In the sub-region context, I recognize the importance of cross-border collaborations. Healthcare challenges often transcend national boundaries, and regional cooperation can lead to more effective solutions. I will be actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with neighboring countries to improve healthcare access and outcomes for all. Thus, collaboration and cross-sector partnerships are what’s needed to increase access to innovation. Public and private sectors both have critical roles to play and expertise to contribute to spur and scale innovation. Roche is committed to being a partner and contributing to bold solutions that support sustainable health ecosystems.
In summary, my approach as a newly appointed GM is rooted in data-driven assessments, stakeholder engagement, innovation, and collaboration. By thoroughly understanding patient access challenges and proactively seeking growth opportunities, I aim to make a meaningful impact on healthcare outcomes, not only within our borders but also across the broader sub-region.
The Movement Health 2030 is an initiative that seeks to prepare health systems for the demands of the future and support them in adopting the necessary innovation. A key part of the approach is to identify and build on existing innovations to launch pilots that tackle the challenge identified so that we can help patients. Movement Health identifies synergies and scales local learnings to regional and global levels to help drive equal access to quality healthcare as rapidly as possible. Roche is a founding partner of this initiative, which started in Latam and has now begun in Algeria, South Africa, and Ghana.
EF: As a woman in a position of leadership, how can we foster women’s role in Healthcare?
WC: I believe that female leadership in healthcare is not only essential but also a transformative force that is reshaping the industry. Women leaders bring unique qualities, perspectives, and experiences to the table, making them indispensable in addressing the complex challenges faced by the healthcare sector. By embracing and promoting female leaders, we can create a healthcare system that is not only more equitable but also more effective in delivering high-quality care to all individuals, regardless of their background or gender. This is a pivotal moment for female leadership in healthcare, and I am excited to see how it continues to shape the industry for the better.
I feel tremendously honored and humbled to be in this historic role as the first female colored and local General Manager at our organization. It's a milestone that carries great significance, not just for me personally, but for the broader context of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in our industry and the impact it can have on our local stakeholders and patients.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to Roche for being a true trailblazer in fostering D&I. Their unwavering commitment to D&I has created an environment where talent and leadership potential are recognized without bias. This achievement is a testament to our organization's vision for a workplace that reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve.
In conclusion, being the first female colored and local General Manager is a tremendous honor, but it's also a responsibility I take seriously. I am proud to be part of an organization that champions D&I, and I am excited about the positive impact we can continue to make for our stakeholders and patients across Africa as we move forward on this important journey together.
EF: Could you provide an in-depth explanation of the current trends in the Roche Pharmaceuticals portfolio within the South African market?
WC: South Africa has witnessed significant developments in the pharmaceutical industry, reflecting a growing emphasis on accessibility, innovation, and public health priorities.
Digitization & Digital Health: The integration of digital health solutions and telemedicine has been on the rise. - Through the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an extraordinary acceleration of digital innovation - from data-tracking apps to the mainstreaming of online consultation. The advancement of digital healthcare solutions can help improve access to care in remote and underserved areas in Africa. We are entering into a new era of partnerships that will be powered by digital tools and innovations, but the public and private sectors must work together to build resilient digital infrastructures for health.
Evidence Generation & Clinical Trials: We have a role to play in correcting historic inequities. While it is estimated the population of Africa may reach 2.5 billion by 2050 - which is more than 25% of the world’s total population – only 2.4 % of clinical trials in the world are conducted in Africa and only 2% of global genetic data is from Africans. We must correct these inequities so that they do not grow over time and increase the gap in access to innovation. Through the African Genomics Program (AGP), Roche and partners are working to help correct the dramatic imbalance in global genomic data and catalyze the co-creation of an open and equitable database of meaningful genomic data for all Africans.
Increasing Public-Private Partnerships: No one organization or sector can solve all of the challenges health systems face alone. We see partnerships across the healthcare continuum with government, medical societies, NGOs, global health organizations, patient advocacy groups, and civil societies contributing to bold solutions that support strong, resilient health systems.
EF: How do you plan on driving and fostering a culture of Diversity and Inclusion within the organization?
WC: At Roche, people are at the heart of what we do. We are grounded in a clear and deep sense of purpose and committed to a culture where everyone feels a sense of belonging and where we can thrive equally; no matter what it is that makes us unique — age, beliefs, ability, how we identify, how we think, where we are from, or the languages we speak. Our diverse and inclusive culture is long-term orientated, helping us achieve our purpose, and collectively making the impossible possible for patients. Our approach to Diversity and Inclusion is multidimensional, holistic, and personal. Together we embrace the unique power of each person to transform the lives of patients and society with a focus on our four strategic D&I pillars: Patients, People, Culture, and Society.
EF: How do you envision shaping a sustainable healthcare ecosystem for growth?
WC: We have made a long-term commitment to Africa and are contributing to efforts to strengthen health systems with innovative solutions tailored to African countries’ specific needs. We envision a future of sustainable healthcare systems in Africa where we have a deeper understanding of the specific needs and disease patterns of African patients by enhancing evidence generation. All African people have access to the newest Roche innovations including diagnostics, treatments, and services; and all African people have access to affordable healthcare and tailored solutions that enable optimal health outcomes.
We are contributing to bold solutions that accelerate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3, “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” and SDG 17 “strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.”
