Synthon
Synthon is an international pharmaceutical company devoted to scientific research for the development and production of affordable, high-quality generic medicines. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1991. After its first two years, it began a large expansion process.
After a decade, it went from being a small company with less than a hundred employees to becoming a multinational with a presence in nine countries, with authorization to market its products from the regulating agencies of about a hundred nations around the world. This exponential growth is a faithful reflection of its commitment to and constant support of innovation, development and continuous improvement.
In Spain, this company has had drug production and R&D facilities for more than 20 years in Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona), where it employs some 470 people and has a repertoire of 85 different products.
Synthon Hispania is devoted to the research and production of generic pharmaceuticals. This goes from the creation and study of prototypes, the development of production processes and the validation of analytical methods, to commercial production activities, such as the manufacture and packaging of tablets and capsules.
The company is moreover endorsed by regulatory bodies such as the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS), the United States FDA, and the Department of Health of the Generalitat of Catalonia, among others. It also has ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications.
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Business challenge
The pharmaceutical sector is currently in a stage of accelerated and in-depth changes, which are introducing important advances but also entail ambitious challenges for the companies which aim to stand out in this sector.
It is a market which has undergone a considerable increase in its competitiveness, as a result of the massive entry of companies from emerging countries in the different spheres of the business and of the growing demands as regards costs and productive efficiency. This context offers a scenario with numerous challenges but also major opportunities. In order to be able to take advantage of them, it is necessary to consolidate flexible and dynamic business structures backed by modern leadership, with a great capacity to adapt and a focus on innovation.
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Goal
This company’s goal consists of continuing to contribute to Synthon’s mission, to develop, produce and coordinate the supply of affordable and high-quality generic pharmaceuticals. Synthon Hispania seeks to consolidate itself as a centre of excellence, standing out for its innovation and operational excellence.
In view of this objective, Synthon’s Human Resources Director, María Córdoba, maintains that “the combination of innovative R&D activity and a proven capacity to manufacture and distribute high-quality pharmaceutical products places us in a good position with a view to the future”.
Both the high level of talent and the motivation of the company’s employees moreover stand out as key elements to meet these expectations. For this, it is necessary to constantly renew the company’s commitment to lifelong learning, as a guarantee to strengthen the skills of the employees, which sustain the company’s success and standards of excellence and quality.
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Solution proposed
Lifelong learning is fundamental in order to sustain talent and consolidate leadership within a company which seeks to maintain high levels of excellence. “We are convinced that the continuity of our success depends on the quality of our employees. We believe that our leaders have a very high level of skills, but we want to continue to train them so that they can grow on a professional and personal level”, explains María Córdoba.
With the aim of promoting the development of Synthon Hispania’s team of directors and managers, the Institute of Lifelong Learning-IL3-UB developed a customized programme, aimed at and adjusted to its senior management.
It consisted of face-to-face training in leadership coach, with the aim of the participants being able to internalize tools in their daily practice and increase their self-confidence in their role as leaders.
For the company it is not only important that its management positions enhance their leadership skills, but also that they can complement them with other fundamental skills on caring for others and for the environment. “We highlight the most human part of motivation, pro-social motivation, that is to say that which goes beyond meeting one’s own needs, and focuses on the needs of the rest of the people in the organization, customers, shareholders, suppliers, society and the environment”, explains Synthon’s Human Resources Director.
An effort was therefore made to work on self-knowledge and the management of emotions, conflict and change in groups. In turn, the aim was to promote communication skills between managers and teams.
The programme’s five sessions combined theoretical contributions with individual and group practice, using an active, participatory and experiential methodology, focusing on the participants as the main actors.
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Impact and results
The first edition of the leadership coach training was considered to be a successful experience, which contributed to promoting the skills of the company’s senior managers. “It allowed them to be more aware of their role within the company, and equipped them with valid tools to use in their everyday tasks”, stresses María Córdoba, Synthon’s Human Resources Director.
In relation to the feedback from the participants, they especially appreciated the practical applicability of the knowledge acquired. That is, the fact that the training was not focused on abstract and general concepts, but rather on the development of tools which could be used in an everyday manner. They likewise stressed the flexibility of the contents, which were adapted in accordance with the concerns and needs which arose during the sessions.
Finally, this experience reaffirmed the great potential of the partnership between IL3-UB and Synthon Hispania for the development of its human capital. In this respect, in 2020 the company will again invest in undertaking leadership training together with IL3-UB, this time intended for and adapted to its middle managers.
“Our experience fully endorses its value, since it easily met our expectations. We will continue to trust in them with a view to the future”, assures Synthon’s Human Resources Director.