Careers at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Moncef Meklati is the General Manager of Merck healthcare responsible for North & West Africa. He holds a PHD in medicine and specialized in Gastroenterology. He has been in the industry for more than 13 years in different positions, companies and markets. Moncef has worked and lived across different countries and continent, mainly Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Motivation

From the time I was a little boy, I’ve been fascinated by medicine and the possibility to support people in their darkest hour. I unfortunately know by experience what impact a disease can have, not only on the patient him- or herself, but also on their entourage. This motivated me to choose to study medicine and specialize in gastroenterology. I consider it to be such a privilege to be able to improve the quality of life of a patient.

Born and raised in Algiers, Algeria, I left for Paris at the age of 30 to continue my medical training and to focus on Gastroenterology, Oncology & Nutrition. Later on, I also spent a couple years in the UAE and I must say that these experiences abroad have been so defining and enriching to me. I met so many great friends, with whom I’m still in close contact today.

It’s a strong asset to have the courage to live outside of your home country. It helps you to expand your horizons by meeting new people from other nationalities and with different backgrounds. You learn to accept that doing things differently from what you are used to, is not per se good or bad, it’s just different. This leads to new ideas, new approaches and you appreciate the different perspectives people have. Diversity of thought is a true gift and actually a must for any company to survive.

I understand how difficult it is to live far away from your family and friends and so I always make it my priority to facilitate the integration of new comers, especially when they come from a different country or culture.

Switching to pharma

You might wonder why I made the switch from practicing medicine to joining the pharmaceutical industry. While I very much enjoyed the close contact with patients, I felt I could have a broader reach and a larger impact in improving access to medicine for patients and bringing new innovative treatments to them through the pharmaceutical industry.

Our mission as a pharma company is to do the utmost to facilitate patients’ access to medicine in collaboration with healthcare professionals, governments and local authorities. My medical background helps me to understand their point of view and anticipate their different needs. We’re all united in our ultimate goal; we’re all united in having the patient’s best interest at the center of what we do. And knowing that what I do, what my company does, contributes to that, gives me an enormous amount of motivation and energy.

An absolute must

In my team, I’m looking for people with a ‘Do it Yourself’ attitude; who go beyond what’s requested. In every project you could be confronted with situations that are not in your favor or outside of your control. I need my team members to take ownership of challenges and look for solutions within the given framework. Accountability is key for a leadership team to function and perform. On top of that, being able to reach your objective when you’re going against the tide, is all the more satisfactory.

I consider people to be the strongest asset of a company, because having a talented and strong team, will guarantee high quality & innovative outcomes. This is also why talent development is one of my priorities. If you’re able to empower your team, this will only increase their level of engagement and motivation.

My life is not centered around my work. My family is and always will be my basis, my top priority. Being able to spend quality time with them, gives me the creativity, the energy & the peace of mind to deal with any work challenge. For me it is obvious that finding the right Work – Life balance is essential for my team members to perform.