Adrian Widjonarko is currently in a secondment role as a Vaccines Sales Manager. Starting his career at Sanofi in supply chain management, then customer service and now sales, Adrian has been inspired by his father’s career as a CEO to try many roles within Sanofi. Fur father to pooch Ollie, and self-declared foodie, ‘Widjy’ is always happy to host a dinner party and prepare his national dish; Nasi Goreng.
In his own words…. meet Adrian.
What kind of roles have you had since you joined Sanofi five years ago?
I started my career at Sanofi working within the Supply Chain team. In this area we need to ensure medicines are available for patients and special conditions like cold chain storage for vaccines are strictly adhered to. After achieving the highest accolade as an ‘Outstanding Achiever’ I moved teams and progressed to Head of Customer Service. I’m now on secondment from an infield role as Vaccine Specialist Consultant to Regional Sales Manager NSW/SA/WA.
What do you think helps people succeed at Sanofi?
I have a very supportive manager who always looks for opportunities to develop and cultivate my skills. It’s heavily influenced my own management style. I feel if you prioritise having regular career conversations and set clear goals, add in some focused work and Sanofi will support you through your career journey – wherever you want to go!
Sanofi’s inclusive environment has helped me to be the best and most genuine person I can be.
How do you prioritise learning and development with your team?
With the industry we’re in, change is happening all the time and technology is changing. So it’s very important we have the right skills in place to keep pace and even exceed. Not only best practice training, medical updates and sales techniques, but the soft skills as well. I try and apply this in my sales management role. I have an experienced team that is always ready to hit the ground running and very receptive to feedback and direction. We’re all aligned and clear about where we are heading.
How important do you think it is to have your voice heard at Sanofi?
I feel Sanofi’s inclusive and diverse environment has helped me to be the best and most genuine person I can be. I’m a member of an employee resource group called GLEE (Gay, Lesbian & Everyone Else) and we’ve been able to raise awareness of issues relating to this community and mobilise many allies. Knowing that Sanofi is willing to listen on these topics and many more inclusion areas is incredibly motivating for me.