S3E14 | Going Viral: Roche Pharma Brazil’s Patrick Eckert Focuses on Values to Guide COVID-19 Response

“It’s about the values we actually pursue at Roche, which are courage, integrity, and passion. For those three values, which are worldwide and well-known within the Roche environment, they actually give us the North Star on not only how people should actually behave, and how much openness we give to them.”

- Patrick Eckert

Patrick Eckert, who leads Roche Pharma’s operations in Brazil as their general manager, talks to LRN’s Ben DiPietro about what the company is doing to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, how it handled the transition of getting workers able to conduct business from their homes, and how it is working with its competitors to find ways to help people.

Patrick Eckert is general manager of Roche Pharma Brazil, where he has worked since February 2017. In September 2018, he was appointed as the Brazilian Enabler Team Lead, responsible for the management of the pharma company’s Brazil business.

He has a clear focus on results while leading the challenges and managing/developing opportunities for access to our innovation supported by a large team of professionals.

Eckert has a bachelor degree in administration by Business School Lausanne in Switzerland, where he is from, and has lived in many different countries. He enjoys very much the diversity of cultures and people. Eckert is married with three children; in his free time he likes to cook, travel, and play tennis.

What You’ll Learn on This Episode:

[0:54] What has Patrick’s career path looked like and how did he wind up leading Roche Brazil operations?

[2:16] As the company’s leading executive, how important does Patrick see ethics and strong engaged inclusive and transparent cultures in creating the foundation for financial success?

[4:29] How often does Patrick communicate messages of ethical behavior, messages of assuring people it’s safe to speak up and raise concerns, and messages that endorse transparency and accountability?

[6:29] In relation to COVID-19, what is the company’s plan of action going forward now as it pertains to employees, to customers, and to helping the government and public health agencies. How is Patrick working with hospitals and healthcare providers, and how much collaboration is there in the industry with companies that are usually Roche Pharma’s competitors?

[10:50] How much of Roche Pharma’s workforce worked mobile before COVID-19, what percentage is working mobile now, and what have been some of the challenges that Patrick has had to deal with to get everyone on board?

[13:23] How much effort is being put into preparing for a return to the workplace versus dealing with the immediacies of dealing with what’s happening with the virus? How are resources being deployed to deal with what is happening, and what is expected to happen once the worst parts of this are over?