Novartis Malaysia Opens the Doors of its New Hybrid Office as Part of Footprint Expansion in Malaysia

Novartis Malaysia, a leading medicines company continues to solidify its presence in the market with the reveal of a new state-of-the-art office in Plaza Imazium, Damansara Uptown. More than just a change of address, the new office is part of the company’s strategic growth plan and commitment to future-proofing its business to better serve customers.

Spread over two floors, the office redesigns today’s work experience for its associates by placing flexibility at the core and prioritizing human connections and collaborations.

Established in 1971, Novartis Malaysia has evolved from a small office to a leading player in the healthcare industry hosting three key divisions comprising Innovative Medicines (Pharma and Oncology), Sandoz (Biosimiliars) and the Novartis Global Service Centre Kuala Lumpur (NGSC KL) – one of only five global shared centres in the world. NGSC KL which launched in 2016 has grown in a short span of six years from servicing five countries to 25 markets, including Novartis’s own headquarters in Basel, Switzerland with high end, data and digital enabled working solutions.

Mr. Kevin Zou, Head of Novartis Asia Aspiring Markets said:

“For Novartis to achieve its goal and its vision of reimagining medicine, it is critical for future-forward work environments to go hand-in-hand with equally agile business environments. Malaysia’s conducive and adaptive business-friendly support and infrastructure is a key component to our current footprint that has expanded to more than 800 associates in Malaysia, serving 32 million patients across the country.”

“Over the five decades that Novartis has been in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur’s attractiveness as a regional hub has continued to improve, with supportive government incentives, a strong pipeline of key talents, robust infrastructure and an ever-expanding healthcare market.”

In 2021, Novartis Malaysia contributed over RM1billion to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP), with nearly a quarter coming from its business activities; employed over 80% of Malaysians in high-value jobs; invested in 38 clinical trials and 16 real-world evidence generation programmes for several key therapeutic areas; supported local businesses as well as contributed over RM3 million to help protect frontliners and high-risk communities against Covid-19.

In the area of patient access, Novartis Malaysia has been supporting the Chronic Myeloid Leukeima (CML) community through the Malaysian Patient Assistance Program (MYPAP), a co-sharing contribution model, whereby the annual treatment cost is partially covered by the Ministry of Health and Novartis Malaysia respectively.

According to Mr. Zou, Novartis Malaysia intends to continue its engagement with the government and support Malaysia in strengthening the healthcare system through the smart use of digital and technological innovations that applies Real World Evidence (RWE) in order to guide solutions that can improve patient journeys.

“As part of delivering on our vision and mission, we aim, to be a healthcare partner of choice for our customers. A key priority for Novartis Malaysia continues to be our focus on exploring further Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the realm of clinical trials, global shared services and healthcare system strengthening,” he added.

In support of its expansion plan, YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Bin Mohamed, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy), and Her Excellency Ambassador Andrea Reichlin, Ambassador of Switzerland to Malaysia, graced the showcase of Novartis Malaysia’s new office.

In his keynote address at the showcase, Mustapa said:

“Novartis has significantly contributed to the world and Malaysia. I have also been informed of what Novartis has been doing worldwide and its future plan. Future is the most important part of the plan as it is all about knowledge, talent, and innovation.”

“My agencies at Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA); Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Ministry of Health (MOH), InvestKL, MyDigital and I are looking forward to working closely with Novartis to strengthen Public-Private Partnership and help us navigate the current challenges that we are facing to provide better healthcare facilities for all Malaysians, especially the lower-income and poor people in Malaysia.”

Datuk Arham Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) congratulated Novartis Malaysia on their new space and said”

“Over 50 years ago, Novartis stepped foot in Malaysia. Today, the Novartis Global Services Center Kuala Lumpur is home to its Operational Headquarters, serving the entire Asia Pacific Region. This evolution speaks volumes of the company’s confidence in Malaysia, as well as our country’s ability in rising to meet the expectations of leading life sciences companies to not only be future ready but to lead in today’s increasingly hybrid world. MIDA wishes Novartis Malaysia all the best ahead and look forward to the company further leveraging Malaysia’s business ecosystem to grow and serve its customers in the region and beyond for the years to come.”

Mr. Mahadhir Aziz, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the nation’s lead digital economy agency, said:

“Novartis has been an invaluable partner throughout the years, playing a key role, collaboratively with MDEC, in the transformation of our digital capabilities and capacities. Their expansion reflects the continued investors’ confidence in our ecosystem and economy and we look forward to further create value and opportunity for all, especially in the digital services and health spaces.”

Adding on, Chief Executive Officer of InvestKL, Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli said:

“Novartis Malaysia’s new office reflects great confidence and reinforces Greater Kuala Lumpur as a location of choice for leading global companies. This office not only spearheads the transformation of work but also marks a significant milestone of growth supported by Kuala Lumpur’s diverse talent, strategic location, IR4.0 driven economy and solid infrastructure. We look forward to facilitating more innovative and high-tech investments into Malaysia and to continuously support Novartis’s growth in the region.”

An office for the truly Inspired, Curious & Unbossed

Novartis Malaysia’s new office encapsulates the new Ways of Working (WoW) – Team-aligned, Associate-Led, and Manager-Enabled. Therefore, having an office that places flexibility at the core but prioritizes human connections and collaboration for associates to deliver purposeful and high impact will unleash the power of the over 800 talents who work here.

Additionally, the office has been thoughtfully curated with key enablers and elements in place. It incorporates an Activity-Based Workplace concept which allows associates to leverage the different sections and corners that best cater to their meeting, collaboration or wellbeing needs. The company is also big on driving the adoption of data and digital for associates to embrace digital technologies and data science to work in new ways and create better patient outcomes.

The office is also sustainability-driven with the use of environmental-friendly and recycled materials for its furniture and computer monitors. Thanks to these efforts, the office has been recognized as one of 20 LEED-Gold certified offices and the first WELL-Silver certified (office) in the country.

Earlier this year, Novartis Malaysia added another feather to its cap by winning Top Employer 2022, having also won for consecutive years of 2021 and 2020. Novartis Malaysia also hosts one of 5 Novartis Global Service Centres worldwide, which have all been certified as Top Employer 3 years in a row. The award recognizes excellence in working environment and further underscores its Inspired, Curious and Unbossed culture.

As a leading medicines company powered by advanced therapy platforms and data science, Novartis Malaysia proved its capability by winning the Medical Technology – Pharmaceuticals award for its predictive tool AXON at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards 2022 recently.