The interview partners
Prof. Dr. Patrick Da-Cruz is Professor of Business Administration and Healthcare Management at the Faculty of Healthcare Management at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU) and Academic Director of the MBA program Leadership and Management in Healthcare.
Before joining the HNU, Mr. Da-Cruz worked for renowned strategy consultancies in the pharmaceutical/healthcare sector and in management positions in companies in the healthcare industry in Germany and abroad.
Stefanie Jordan is Senior HR Director and Head of Human Resources Germany at Teva Pharmaceuticals. A qualified banker, she gained professional experience in the finance and consulting sector and as a lecturer during her business studies at HNU. After graduating, she started her career as a trainee at ratiopharm, where she subsequently worked in HR management. She was active in various regional and international projects and roles and has been head of HR at one of the largest sites in the Teva Group since 2022.
Julia Ziegler is HR Manager for Employer Branding & Biotech at Teva Pharmaceuticals She completed a dual Bachelor's degree in Business Administration Industry at the DHBW and a Master's degree in Marketing & Communications at the FOM University of Applied Sciences. After her studies, she gained experience in product management and human resources at WMF. Since 2019, Julia Ziegler has been contributing her expertise in various HR roles at Teva, and since 2022 she has been working intensively on the development and implementation of an authentic employer branding strategy for Teva Germany.
What is employer branding?
Employer branding encompasses two key aspects for us: external and internal perception. Externally, it is about how potential talent perceives us as an attractive employer; internally, it is about how our employees experience their work with us. Authenticity is crucial here: external communication must reflect the corporate culture that is truly lived internally. For us, employer branding means positioning ourselves as an employer of choice for the right target groups. At the same time, it should support recruiting - both areas must go hand in hand in order to successfully attract and retain talent in the long term.
We also see employer branding as a form of branding: just as a corporate brand is developed and maintained, the employer brand also requires targeted management. Only through a strategic orientation and clear positioning can the trust and identification of the target groups with the brand be strengthened.
How does Employer Branding 2.0 differ from traditional measures to increase employer attractiveness?
Employer Branding 2.0 focuses more on authenticity and telling real stories. Unlike traditional measures, which often rely on glossy communication, Employer Branding 2.0 is about showing what the company is really about - with all its strengths and characteristics. It's not just about “looking good” on the outside, but about making the corporate culture tangible. Employees should recognize themselves and talents should get a realistic picture of what they can expect from us. This realistic presentation creates identification and trust.
Employer branding 2.0 also takes into account the fact that the expectations of talent and employees have changed over time: Topics such as work-life balance, diversity, sustainability or personal development are often crucial today. To remain relevant, employer branding must adapt to these new requirements and thus appeal to the right target groups in the long term.
Which target groups should be addressed in employer branding?
Employer branding should, of course, take into account all target groups relevant to the company - i.e. those who are crucial to its positioning as an attractive employer. This includes potential talent: from career starters and career changers to experienced specialists that the company would like to recruit for current or future positions.
Current employees are just as important. They not only help shape the company's performance, but also act as authentic ambassadors for the corporate culture. Former employees, known as alumni, also play a role, as they can strengthen the employer brand in the long term through positive experiences and recommendations.
And then there are the passive talents: people who are currently not actively looking for a job, but who can be attracted to the company in the long term through employer branding measures.
Our site combines various areas such as traditional pharmaceutical production, biotechnological production, a commercial unit, numerous business support functions and a large logistics unit. Our target groups are correspondingly diverse. We target both young talents and experienced specialists and managers. As requirements and future skills are constantly evolving, we regularly analyze which skills are in demand. In the future, the focus will be on data scientists and automation engineers in particular - profiles that are becoming increasingly important for many companies in the digital transformation.
To remain relevant, employer branding must continue to evolve. This means regularly reviewing the needs of the various target groups in order to achieve a sustainable impact.
What relevance does the topic have in the pharmaceutical industry from your point of view?
Employer branding is just as relevant for the pharmaceutical industry as it is for other sectors, but with one decisive advantage: the sense of purpose. Our work helps people, and that motivates many. At the same time, factors such as corporate culture, team spirit, benefits and development opportunities are playing an increasingly important role. It's about communicating these topics authentically and purposefully to the outside world. At the same time, we need to retain and promote our existing employees. Future-oriented employer branding is particularly important in a diverse environment like ours. The stability of the pharmaceutical industry is a clear advantage that we can exploit.
In addition, the industry often struggles with the prejudice of being “outdated”, sterile or characterized by strict regulations. This is precisely where employer branding can help to convey a modern, dynamic and innovative image of the pharmaceutical industry. In this way, we can reach new target groups who may not have previously associated these positive aspects with the industry.
How is the topic implemented at Teva?
At Teva, employer branding is shaped from the inside out. We have actively involved our employees right from the start. Together, we developed our value proposition based on questions such as: “How does it feel to work here?” and “What makes us special?”. We use regular checkpoints to ensure that our messages reflect reality. Our campaigns rely on real employees - be it in testimonial photos or in posts on our Instagram channel - which is also managed 100% by our own employees and to a large extent by our interns. As we design a lot of things ourselves, our communication remains credible and close to reality.
For us, employer branding is a continuous process that we regularly review and adapt to changing conditions. We rely on a collaborative approach that actively involves employees from all areas, managers and other stakeholders in order to jointly create an authentic employer brand that is convincing in the long term.
Thank you for the interview!
The content and statements presented in the interviews reflect the perspective of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the position of the editorial team.
