Rohana is a Senior Product Manager for Sanofi Genzyme’s marketing team. She has worked across the pharmaceutical industry for 15 years and can be described as focused, fun and fighting for patients! Her inspiration has always been driven by the work ethic of her father who is a doctor and his unwavering commitment to his patients. Rohana has a busy life as a wife and mum to two girls and loves food and travel.
In her own words…. meet Rohana.
How has Sanofi supported your change in career paths?
I started my career as a Pharmacist but transitioned into the Life Sciences industry. Science is still a huge passion of mine but I was curious to learn about the broader healthcare environment and business operations. The best part about working at Sanofi is the diversity in specialities and knowing that there is a range of people I can call on for support. I remember sitting down with my manager to talk about my goals for the future. They set the groundwork, giving me a great mix of theoretical and hands on learning. As my experience grew, I became a better people manager and was given more responsibilities.
Today my role involves branding strategy and operations, which is about thinking of the best way to get Sanofi’s medicines to doctors and patients who need them. Changing into a new area, it doesn’t mean that your previous experience is wasted. I’m a better marketer because my pharmacy background gives me a unique understanding for the concerns of doctors and patients. I encourage anyone who has curiosity for a new field to do the hard work and commit to the change. You never know what you can accomplish.
To achieve your milestones, how have you felt supported?
Sanofi has empowered me in two ways; by providing the learning tools and the work flexibility. The culture is very conducive to lifelong learning and it is part of our everyday language to be open to new information.
We're given flexible working arrangements and that’s because many of us, myself included are not in the Sydney head office. We all come from diverse groups spread out across the country and that ties back into the strong culture of learning and innovation. Although we come from different states, that is by no means a limitation to the outputs we can deliver. Sanofi has developed its digital platforms so we are not limited by the traditional channels of face to face. I feel empowered because I’m not going out of my way to get to work and all the resources are there to help me succeed.
We all come from diverse groups across the country and that ties back to our strong culture of learning and innovation.
Describe a time you challenged the status quo and succeeded?
There was a time when I was working on a high priority project. We had already invested several months of work. I had a sense that we weren’t going in the right direction, something in the research wasn’t lining up. So I went back and reviewed the data again. I found the information and presented it to senior management. Seeing merit in my feedback they were open to changing direction. This ultimately brought about a better path forward aligned more closely to our strategy. It was encouraging to ask important questions and challenge the decision respectfully, knowing that I am not bound by a power structure for my ideas to have importance.
What advice would you give to an early career marketer?
For those early in their career... be curious, explore, ask questions and have a go! The most important thing is to take ownership and accountability of your own journey. Make sure you are honest with yourself about areas that could be developed and have a clear framework of how to address these issues.