Building Female Talent Pipeline Novar

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By David Woods | on 6 March 2014 | 0 Comment

Claudia Bidwell
Business commentary
Finance
Marketing
examines the importance of building female talent and looks at

how global healthcare giant Novartis Pharma AG tackles the issue
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DIALOGUE
of improving the number of female leaders in the company.
By entering your email
Introduction by Liz Mellon
address, you agree to
In July 2013, Diversity Journal gave Novartis Pharma AG the

Innovations Award for Excellence in recognition of the company actively
addressing the gap in female leadership and fostering gender diversity.
receive emails from

Dialogue
Your Email Address...
2013 also saw Novartis US Pharmaceuticals affiliate listed on the

Working Mother 100 Best Companies list in the United States.
In the first issue of Dialogue, I discussed why a substantial part of the
workforce is not represented in equal proportions in most
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organisations. Why is it that so many women either self-select out

before moving into the very top echelons of organisations, or dont
even have an opportunity to fill these leadership roles? It makes no
sense to lose female talent while good talent is still so hard to find and
retain. Yet the world is full of self-aware global organizations that have
good intent and policies to nurture talent, but where progress is
woefully slow and painful.
Novartis decided to take a new and different approach to this challenge
several years ago. The company started a new strategic initiative in
2010 to develop female leaders. It was not without risk or controversy.
What is Novartis getting right? Dialogue asked Claudia Bidwell, global
http://dialoguereview.com/building-female-talent-pipeline-novartis/
06/10/2016
Page 2 of 7
head of organizational development for Novartis Pharma AG, to share

her story of the journey the company started to make sure that women
Shares
are as well represented at all levels in the company as they are in
The approach within Novartis Pharma
Women drive a majority of healthcare decision-making and control $12

also an increase of women in the workforce in both developed and
to see a matching representation of female leaders within Novartis.

There are also increasing regulatory demands placed on global
organizations. While legislation varies and continues to evolve, more
European governments are considering introducing binding quotas for
the proportion of women on corporate boards. There was a growing
recognition within the organization that we should strengthen the
female executive pipeline and representation. Although we have above
average representation of women in senior management positions
versus other Fortune 500 companies, progress to increase this further
was seen within the organization as not being quick enough. We
needed to accelerate. The aim was to give better exposure to top
female talent and at the same time to accelerate the careers of suitable
female executives.
Why an executive female leadership development programme?
A key component of our strategy to develop female talent is the
Executive Female Leadership Program (EFLP). It is designed to make a
difference at the individual, business and organizational level. It is
also intended to make a bold statement and send a message about how
serious we are. We chose participants carefully, based on their
leadership achievements and potential. It was aimed at preparing them
for continued leadership roles. The programme is also intended to
provide an experience that impacts not just those who are part of the
programme, but also their teams, their managers and the senior
management of the organization.
06/10/2016
Page 3 of 7
The programme is designed to address specifically those issues that we

know talented women may face when striving for the most senior levels
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of the organization. These include exploring development opportunities
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the business.
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It is positioned as a talent initiative and built into our talent

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This means the participants benefit from broad development
opportunities and longer-term career planning, which was the focus of
this programme. Classroom sessions
are experiential in format, so that the women can replicate and then
adjust some of the situations they face every day at work. But their
development is about so much more than classroom learning. Mentors,
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handpicked from the most senior leaders in Novartis, are assigned to

each of the participants. Each also has the benefit of an external coach.
Most Read
Recent
Comments
Webinars are rolled out on different business and leadership

development topics to keep the learning alive between face-to-face
The case for curiosity
sessions.
16 December 2013 - 5
Comments
One additional but important feature is that participants are assigned

to small project teams, and each team has to solve a strategic real-time
business issue sponsored by an executive committee member. This is a
A softer hand for a

hard-wired world
two-way exchange. Executive committee members experience the
18 December 2015 - 4
strategic capability of each participant at close quarters, while the
Comments
participant gains increased exposure at senior levels. The projects have

been a great addition, as they offer real business benefit to Novartis as
a company.
Has It Made a Difference?
The good news is that the initial results look promising. Most of the
Dialogue Classic The

Gandhi principle: Five
myths about soft
leadership
1 January 2016 - 4
Comments
business projects have been adopted after being presented to the

executive committee and provide evidence of the return we have
06/10/2016
reaped as a company from this important investment in our female

leaders.
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For the participants themselves, by the middle of 2013, top-line data
Page 4 of 7
Striking the gender

balance
14 April 2014 - 2
Comments
Which of these brands,

do you believe has
achieved the most
believable consumer
campaign?
or general managers, while 14% have been promoted onto a
14 May 2014 - 2
Comments
YOUR DIALOGUE
Which of the following do you thin

outcome has been that our Pharma executive committee has benefited
poses the greatest risk to global

business:
Which of the following do you think
the greatest risk to global business:
and through the extended network they are building.
Financial instability
Key learnings
Political fragility
What we have learnt, and would recommend to others, is the

importance of senior management commitment. Too often this
translates into a guest appearance or speech somewhere along the
way. We had constant and continuous sponsorship at the very highest
level. We also had a tough selection procedure to ensure high caliber
Environmental threats
International complexity
Risk aversion and reluctance to grow
Other
participants. This was about talent development and every woman had
to be able to look across the room and consider herself to be in good
company. The other aspect we learnt was to make no apologies for
what we are doing. Having better representation of female executives is
Vote
View
a business issue its not nice to have, its a must-have. The level of the
programme offering also has to be of the highest quality. Top talent
makes for a tough audience. As our number of participants increased
over the years, they built momentum as change agents. Success breeds
success.
What Next?
Novartis held a further learning session for alumnae in 2013, together
with the Pharma executive committee and the division head, to
consider how our alumnae can continue to pay forwards everything
they have learnt. There are off-shoot developments in the business at
different levels to continue to build the female talent pipeline and we
continue to track the career development of participants. We can
06/10/2016
Page 5 of 7
definitely endorse and confirm the investment as worthwhile at many

levels.
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Claudia Bidwell is global head of talent management, organizational
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BROWSE FULL ARCHIVE

By David Woods | on 6 March 2014 | 0 Comment

examines the importance of building female talent and looks at

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH

of improving the number of female leaders in the company.

By entering your email

Introduction by Liz Mellon

address, you agree to

In July 2013, Diversity Journal gave Novartis Pharma AG the

receive emails from

2013 also saw Novartis US Pharmaceuticals affiliate listed on the

organisations. Why is it that so many women either self-select out

Building the female talent pipeline at Novartis | Dialogue ReviewDialogue Review

head of organizational development for Novartis Pharma AG, to share

are as well represented at all levels in the company as they are in

The approach within Novartis Pharma

Women drive a majority of healthcare decision-making and control $12

to see a matching representation of female leaders within Novartis.

Building the female talent pipeline at Novartis | Dialogue ReviewDialogue Review

The programme is designed to address specifically those issues that we

of the organization. These include exploring development opportunities

It is positioned as a talent initiative and built into our talent

handpicked from the most senior leaders in Novartis, are assigned to

Webinars are rolled out on different business and leadership

The case for curiosity

One additional but important feature is that participants are assigned

A softer hand for a

two-way exchange. Executive committee members experience the

strategic capability of each participant at close quarters, while the

participant gains increased exposure at senior levels. The projects have

Dialogue Classic The

business projects have been adopted after being presented to the

Building the female talent pipeline at Novartis | Dialogue ReviewDialogue Review

reaped as a company from this important investment in our female

For the participants themselves, by the middle of 2013, top-line data

Striking the gender

Which of these brands,

or general managers, while 14% have been promoted onto a

Which of the following do you thin

poses the greatest risk to global

and through the extended network they are building.

What we have learnt, and would recommend to others, is the

Building the female talent pipeline at Novartis | Dialogue ReviewDialogue Review

definitely endorse and confirm the investment as worthwhile at many

Claudia Bidwell is global head of talent management, organizational

Your investors need to

Get your timing right

What is Yahoo for?

Dialogue Classic The

No Responses to Building the female talent pipeline at Novartis

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Building the female talent pipeline at Novartis | Dialogue ReviewDialogue Review

TOP POSTS & PAGES

practical and world-

class journal, which

focuses on key issues

business leaders and

managers around the

will cover a wide range

Recommended for you

Building the female talent pipeline at Novartis | Dialogue ReviewDialogue Review

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