From Local to Global-Embracing New Opportunities and A World of Possibilities | 外資系企業の転職・求人エージェント

2024.09.20

With over 25 years of experience in HR, Michaela Binder has been involved in optimizing organizational structures and crisis management, creating career and motivation programs and stabilizing organizational operations.
Her career began as a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, followed by the role of Senior HR Manager at Citibank from where she was headhunted and assumed the position of HR Director for Czech and Slovak Republic during the integration of Wyeth into Pfizer. Her career has taken her from a local consultant to her current global role as Regional Talent Acquisition Lead at Pfizer which she currently serves as.
We caught up with Ms. Binder to find out more about building a career path and the initiatives that she encourages people to take.

Pursuing the opportunities that presented to me honed my profession, each one opening up another door to where I am today.

Michaela, could you tell us how you started your career, the career path you took, and what your role is in your current position?

I started my career as a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and spent 8 years in human resources working with companies in finance, healthcare, and various other sectors. That's where I learned about HR processes and built a foundation through advising clients on how to develop and optimize their processes.

After that, I decided to gain experience on the client side, the other side of the river so to speak, and worked in the local consumer banking division at Citibank for 2 years where I worked on improving their processes.

My big career move happened when I was headhunted to work for a pharmaceutical company in the Czech Republic, Wyeth, which was an affiliate of and later acquired by Pfizer. And that was my path to where I am now.

This is my 16th year at Pfizer, and I am currently responsible for talent acquisition, recruitment, and branding activities, globally across 60 countries. In fact, I am a success story of how someone can grow a career from working locally to having a global role overseeing HR activities in 60 countries. I am very committed and proud to be part of this company and the pharmaceutical industry which brings many breakthrough medicines to people around the world.

Diversity generates energy and increases equity in organizations

In recent years, many companies, not just pharmaceutical companies, have adopted DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) as a key part of their management strategies. Please tell us about the DEI initiatives and practices at Pfizer.

The reason many companies are embracing diversity, equity and inclusion is simple. From a management perspective, diversity creates more energy within a team where people from different cultures and backgrounds work together, improving the equity value within the company. That builds trust internally and of course externally with our clients. I have a diverse team myself, with Kentaro-san(Pfizer Japan Inc. Japan Talent Acquisition Lead, People Experience) who is part of my team and here with us today.

Various activities are taking place globally to support DEI. Many are based in the U.S. where various cultures and nationalities coexist, but Europe has also become quite active as well. A few years ago, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Group was established in Europe, with five work streams, diversified by gender, nationality, age and other factors.

It's important that DEI is embraced by all of our affiliates, but we also respect their local culture as well. For example, some initiatives that are effective in the U.S. may not be effective in Japan. What is accepted in the western regions may not be accepted in other countries. What we try to do is to apply our best practices around the world.

Ability to adapt to a global landscape

What qualities make an individual successful and what does Pfizer Japan look for in a candidate?

From a global perspective, it's important that employees have a strong command of English so that they can engage with the global teams. We understand that the Japanese language is very different form English, so we do provide training for new Pfizer Japan employees.

It's also important, in terms of value, that a candidate has experience in line with Pfizer values. We support courage, excellence and equity in individuals, as well as flexibility and adaptability to global and market changes.

With AI tools and other new technologies which are introduced and implemented, a willingness to learn and grow is expected by Pfizer so that we can leverage talent around the world.

Internal job posting system and overseas opportunities

I have heard that at Pfizer, people who want to challenge themselves can take advantage of global career opportunities to work outside of Japan and vice versa. Could you tell us about Pfizer's global career opportunities for Japanese employees.

Pfizer is very proactive in offering job opportunities to employees around the world. Individuals with talent who are open to new opportunities can gain experience working on projects in other countries and regions. This adds value to Pfizer as a global company.

Japanese people are naturally modest and sometimes their self-confidence needs to be boosted so that they apply for positions that are available in Pfizer's global offices. Compared to other countries, there aren't as many Japanese employees applying for global positions through our internal job postings, but we encourage them to take on the challenge and proactively promote the opportunity to transfer overseas.

But I think it depends on the culture; some people are happy to work in their home country and don't feel the need to move around the world and that's perfectly fine too.

Global Language - English and DEI

Many people working in foreign companies hope to challenge global opportunities as part of their career development. I have heard that your company actively conducts internal recruitment globally. What skills and qualities are necessary for Japanese employees to succeed globally?

English being the main official language at Pfizer, a good command of English is critical to work with international colleagues. Our internal system supports employees in finding the right expatriate position for them so that they can move around the globe. In terms of qualities, we look for people who support DEI because our teams are made up of people of different nationalities, roles, and experiences. This in turn, encompasses the DEI that we promote internally and externally as well.

Encourage a zig-zag career path

"enabling success" is our company's core value at en world. Tell us what initiatives Pfizer is undertaking to ensure continuous success for your employees.

We support our employees' internal career path and accommodate their aspirations through our internal job posting system, as I mentioned earlier. To give you an example, there was a Medical doctor who applied and used this system to transfer from a medical office to a commercial department, zig-zag career where you can move to a different department from the one you belong to. Also, our HR system is highly advanced so there are tangible and intangible elements that effectively retain our employees.

A global and diverse company that brings medical breakthroughs to the world

What is attractive about Pfizer Japan from a global perspective?

What attracts many candidates to Pfizer across the globe is the success we've had in the pharmaceutical industry, how we were able to keep the world safe with medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another is the stability of the company. We are the largest pharmaceutical company with 90,000 employees worldwide and in terms of size.

Pfizer Japan is a well-balanced organization with a mix of global and Japanese cultures. Many of our Japanese colleagues are developing long-term careers through our international career opportunities and our turnover rate is quite low.

Joining hands to embrace diversity

What is Pfizer group's global perspective on gender gap in the workforce? How is the gender hiring ratio?

The gender ratio at Pfizer is somewhere around 60% female to 40% male workers and we have also started to notice that our affiliates are hiring more women than men. However, men outnumber women in global-level positions such as directors, senior directors, and vice presidents. Of course, stereotypes may still exist as part of the culture of our affiliates in some countries where women are expected to stay home and take care of the family. This is not something that can be changed overnight. We are working internally and externally to support women to have the opportunity to be on the shortlist for high-level management positions.

Having said all that, I want to make it clear that we do not prefer to hire women over men. We hire the best candidates. So if it happens to be a women, great. The important thing is to have a broader pool of candidates who represents a broader group of people.

Statistically, we hire more women but what's important to us is diversity. We are becoming more open to candidates with disabilities. It takes time for societies to open up and embrace diverseness, but we are working on this and encouraging them to join us.

I am a good example of a female worker who was raised by Pfizer, an individual who started out from a small position in a small country of the Czech Republic and achieved the global role I have today. Japan is also a small country, but I encourage people to have the courage to seize the opportunities that come their way.

Michaela Binder

Pfizer Inc.
Director, Global Talent Solutions, Candidate Experience, International Developed Markets and LATAM

Michaela has over 25 years of HR experience, including 7 years leading HR optimization projects at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She has managed crisis situations, stabilized organizations, and developed career and motivation programs throughout her career. As Senior HR Manager at Citibank and HR Director for the Czech and Slovak Republics during the integration of Wyeth into Pfizer in 2009, Michaela played a key role in organizational transformation. Since 2009, she has been with Pfizer, serving as HR Director for CZ and SK, and most recently, as Regional Talent Acquisition Lead.

Haruko Yamajo

en world Japan K.K.
Life Science Division Principal Consultant

Haruko Yamajo joined en world in 2020. She has been working in the pharmaceutical industry as a human resources consultant for 10 years. Haruko has received several in-house awards, including those from her former employers. She is a Principal Consultant with a strong reputation for providing individualized career counseling based on her belief in en world's mission of "enabling success".

*All information correct as of July 2024