MSD Vietnam’s empowering workplace

Katharina Geppert notes that employees have always been one of the company’s key strategic priorities throughout three decades of operation in Vietnam, Photo: Le Toan

Last week, MSD Vietnam was named at the HR Asia Awards 2024 ceremony under the category of “Best Companies to Work for in Asia” for the second consecutive year. Additionally, the company was honoured with a new award for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Katharina Geppert, general director of MSD Vietnam, said, “We are incredibly proud to be recognised twice at this year’s HR Asia Awards. During the nearly three decades that MSD has been operating in Vietnam, employees have always been one of the company’s key strategic priorities. These awards underscore our unwavering commitment to fostering a workplace where every employee feels valued, empowered, and able to thrive. This is a great motivation for us to continue to invest in and implement better HR policies.”

MSD’s human resource policies and initiatives are implemented comprehensively to care for employees’ health, develop their skills and careers, and build a healthy and effective work culture. MSD maintains a hybrid work model that helps employees balance work and family life, improving their quality of life and work performance.

Each MSD Vietnam employee is considered a talent developed according to a standardised global leadership competency framework. The company’s training programmes and talent development policies also help employees access and continuously update the latest knowledge and courses from universities and training organisations worldwide.

Speaking about corporate culture, Doan Dinh Binh, HR director at MSD Vietnam, said the company fosters a culture of inclusion and belonging where all employees feel welcomed and valued.

“Bringing together people from different backgrounds allows us to deliver on our purpose of using the power of leading science to save and improve lives around the world,” Binh said. “In the past 12 months, approximately 40 per cent of our new hires came from non-pharma industries. As of July 2024, females account for 60 per cent of our workforce and also hold 60 per cent of managerial roles. Currently, our company is composed of talents from three generations, with the younger generations Y and Z contributing over 80 per cent. Diversity is in our DNA.”

To further enhance performance in 2025 and beyond, the primary focus will be on investing in the growth, success, and wellbeing of its employees, Binh explained. “We strive to strengthen the development of our people managers, equipping them with effective coaching skills, the ability to build strong teams, and to become global enterprise leaders in the future. Our working practices will reflect our commitment to the growth, wellbeing, and engagement of our employees.”

Last month, in London, the Global Influencer Marketing Awards also honoured the Minah project by MSD Vietnam with a Bronze Award in the “Best Influencer Marketing Technology” category.

Minah is a virtual health influencer on the Facebook platform, created to raise community awareness about preventing dangerous cancers and diseases related to human papillomavirus (HPV). Persistent infection with high-risk HPV types in both females and males can lead to various forms of cancer.

The Minah project was created by the Vietnam Association of Preventive Medicine, in collaboration with Ogilvy Health Asia, and sponsored by MSD Vietnam for public education purposes. With the collective advantage of these partners in technology and data, along with deep market insights, Minah helps bridge the generational gap and facilitates conversations about sensitive topics to protect the community.

Also last month, the company collaborated with the Vietnam Respiratory Society to introduce a pneumococcal vaccine with broad coverage of serotypes. This vaccine helps provide active immunity against pneumonia and infections caused by common serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae for individuals at risk aged two and above, with no age limit.

The Ministry of Health has approved a new indication for MSD’s cancer immunotherapy, raising the total number of approved indications to 27 (treating 13 different types of tumours), offering hope and treatment opportunities for more patients.

MSD is one of the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical companies worldwide. The company is at the forefront of research, delivering innovative solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in both people and animals. MSD fosters a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operates responsibly every day to enable a safe and healthy future for all.