Talent is often on the move within Novo Nordisk

Career mobility is one of the best things about working for a large company, especially one with offices across the globe. Diego Moreno, a health economics manager at Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. (NNCI), was working at the pharmaceutical company’s Mexico City office less than two years ago and looking to make a change.

“I saw the position open in Canada, and saw that it matched my experience and capabilities,” he says. “And in my field, Canada’s Drug Agency is well known, so that really piqued my interest. It would be really good to move along my career, so I applied.”

People like Moreno are essential to NNCI, according to Angie Ng, vice president of people and organization at the company’s Mississauga, Ont., headquarters.

It’s especially crucial now, just after the parent company, which made its reputation with treatments for diabetes and obesity, celebrated its centenary last year with five generations working at Novo Nordisk globally.

“We are in a new phase as a company,” says Ng. “The first chapter was the first hundred years, and now we’re working toward the next hundred and developing the capabilities we need in leaders and talent to move us into that next chapter.”

For NNCI, this means continuing to value all team members, wherever they might be in the company, who can bring diverse experience to roles that open up in any office.

“Not only diversity in terms of culture,” says Ng, “but diversity in the way people think, diversity in the skills that they bring, in their personalities.”

For Moreno, making the first major move of his career, there were all the logistic hurdles, such as visas, taxes, bank accounts and housing, not just for himself but for his wife. The company set them up with a consultant to help with the cultural shift and provided a car and housing for the first three months, but he was given an extension when he discovered Toronto’s famously competitive housing market.

“I was really grateful for that support,” says Moreno.

“We wrap ourselves around our employees,” says Ng, “because we know that moving to another country is scary and moving to another affiliate is scary, and moving to another job is scary. We’re the second-largest pharmaceutical company in Canada but we very much function as a community. When the rubber hits the road it’s those little moments that really make the difference.

“If you invest in your talent, you want to keep them.”

Back in Mexico City, Moreno knew that the company encouraged mobility; the position he's previously held there had opened up when his predecessor moved to Novo Nordisk in Dubai. And now that he’s in the Mississauga office, he’s seeing the same culture of advancement across the company.

“In Mexico City, I knew a lot of people making this move,” he says, “to Europe, to other regions, to Latin America, and having successful stories. I’ve been here a year and a half now and I’ve known a lot of people coming in, a lot of people coming out.

“I’ve been at Novo Nordisk for five years in total, and you get the sense that you’re going to be supported when you make the move, that the company actually wants you to gain this experience, to bring more to the company.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers winners, published November 15, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Diversity helps identify leaders at Novo Nordisk

When leaders at Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. (NNCI) wanted to focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging efforts for their employees, they went all-in on the effort, according to Angie Ng, vice president of people and organization.

“We decided to double down and focus on it,” Ng says. “We evolved our diversity leadership team – iLEAD, for inclusion, leadership, equity, awareness, diversity – and we thought, ‘What do we need to help our employees understand that we really care?’ We looked at all the different ways we could increase and ensure more diverse representation as part of our culture, and one of the things that came up was ERGs.”

NNCI’s ERGs, or employee resource groups, are proposed, launched and led by employees and represent various communities within the company. Last year, inspired by the two original ERGs – Allied Rainbow Community (ARC) for 2SLGBTQIA+ employees and Gender Equity Movement (GEM) – sales representative Noureen Habib decided to step forward to launch the South Asian Alliance for Togetherness and Harmony (SAATH) ERG.

SAATH – its name inspired by a word meaning togetherness and unity in Hindi – began with a conversation with a girlfriend of Habib’s who started a similar ERG at her law firm. Habib says her company was enthusiastic about the idea right from the start.

“They’ve supported everything we’ve needed from the ERG,” she says. “Any idea that we’ve come to them with, they’ve been super supportive.”

Since Novo Nordisk helps patients with serious chronic diseases, it’s even more meaningful for this group of colleagues to come together and share their experiences as team members and as family members.

“We work in a disease area that South Asian people suffer more from,” Habib says. “Studies show if you’re South Asian, you may have a higher risk to develop diabetes and obesity than if you are not.”

Ng explains that, besides helping foster community and communication, the company’s ERGs identify leadership potential in their employees.

“The truth is that in ERGs, employees have to invest their time and energy to keep them going,” she says. “The fact that they want to do that in addition to their job is a demonstration of their commitment to NNCI, and their respective communities’ cultures.”

Since SAATH was launched just over a year ago, two new ERGs have been started at NNCI. “I’m going to boast,” says Habib. “People then felt comfortable starting an East Asian ERG and a French ERG – so many more have been launched after us. And I think that’s because we showed the value of leading with authenticity.”

Ng says that when developing talent at NNCI, “participation in and leadership of ERGs is recognized and appreciated.” Across the organization, “leaders reflect on how they can help shape an individual’s career and help them grow.”

Habib says that she’s grateful for the guidance and the opportunity to introduce and co-chair SAATH. “I have work-life balance, and I have what I need from the company to not only be a young mom, but also be successful in my work.

“Nobody knows all the answers,” she says, “but we all just go ‘let’s figure this out.’ Which is a fun environment to be in.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto’s Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.