George ABERCROMBIE

President and CEO of Roche North American Pharmaceuticals Operations

I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with prescription drug products for my entire career, products that make a real difference in the lives of hundreds of millions of mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, and friends around the world. In my mind, there aren’t many other businesspeople that can make such a claim.

After working as a pharmacist in North Carolina, I began my career in the pharmaceuticals industry as a sales representative. As I started out calling on physicians and other health care providers, discussing the efficacy and safety of our products, I was given a simple yet powerful piece of advice that has guided my thinking about this business ever since: sell the medicines as if they would be used by my family, my friends, or myself. This meant explaining the drug’s side effects in as much detail as its benefits, resisting the urge to sugarcoat the drug’s value in order to drum up sales. I would give health care providers all the information they would need to make the best choices for their patients. To this day, the humanity of each patient guides me in my work.

Put yourself in the customer’s shoes