Gwenael Meneux of AstraZeneca Hong Kong and Macau gives his initial impression of the HK market, outlines his unusual career trajectory and the new innovations AZ is looking to bring to patients in the region.   Gwenael, you have a very interesting and diverse background that is a bit atypical of pharma country managers, having started in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) with L’Oréal overseeing South American markets, before moving into consultancy, before joining the pharma industry. You have now been with AstraZeneca for ten years, moving through the French and mainland Chinese affiliates. What has been the driving force through this career trajectory? I definitely do not have the standard pharma GM profile but I have been able to draw on my past experiences and expertise over the past decade with AstraZeneca. Two of my core personal motivations are embracing new challenges, and customer-centricity, which translates into patient-centricity within the pharma industry. I started in sales and marketing with L’Oreal, which is one of the leading, cutting-edge FMCG players – and as a French person, there was a good fit between the organization and me. When I joined AstraZeneca, I was completely new to the industry so I had to discover, learn and adapt very quickly. I started initially in a ‘sales force excellence’ (SFE) role and after a few years, was assigned to projects beyond my immediate job scope, hence exposing me to new roles and responsibilities. For instance, while being a SFE director, I had the opportunity to lead a multichannel sales and marketing strategy for AstraZeneca France. This all fed into my later role as Commercial Excellence Director. I also had the opportunity to lead various HR initiatives, and was even assigned as acting HR lead during a period of vacancy. In general, I am very driven by curiosity. I love meeting new challenges and trying something new, and I try to never be 100 percent satisfied.

In general, I am very driven by curiosity. I love meeting new challenges and trying something new, and I try to never be 100 percent satisfied.