40 for 40: The past and future of J&J's bold health innovation in China

For 40 years, J&J Innovative Medicine in China has focused on purpose-driven, patient-inspired work. Today, company president Cherry H. understands the breakthroughs we plan to introduce in the next few years are part of a continuing dialogue between our past and future.

In the following Q&A, she shares the importance of three things—leadership, talent development and people joining the right team—and how we are impacting the future of healthcare.

Q: What do you mean when you tell people at J&J that we need to “be bold”?

A: For us, “being bold” means:

• To innovate bravely
• To persist unwaveringly in overcoming challenges
• And to empower our people

When it comes to innovation, we will continue to push for breakthroughs in R&D and seek answers to problems no one has solved yet. In fact, over the next five years, we aim to introduce more than 40 breakthrough therapies or indications for patients in China.

Of course, people are the driving force behind everything we do. I see the rapid changes in China’s market every day and feel an even greater urgency to help talent grow. This means embracing forward-thinking, growth-oriented approaches, and being brave enough to bring in new ideas. At the same time, I realize colleagues are busy and need support to develop. Over the next five years, we aim to cultivate more than 30 industry leaders, coinciding with the final year of the Healthy China initiative.

Q: Johnson & Johnson is a century-old company, so how do we stay daring in expanding treatment options and serving patients?

A: Medical innovation requires both courage and persistence. Our confidence comes from our belief in solving problems as no one else can, from strategic R&D investments and global, open collaboration—that is, from truly daring to lead the way.

Our team is comprised of some of the world’s top scientists, who work closely with medical professionals worldwide to understand unmet needs in each market, and to incorporate clinicians’ insights into our research plans. But the reality is that innovation cycles vary and in pharma, truly breakthrough innovations in medicine have only about a 10% success rate—meaning that success is rare and hard-won. Developing First-in-Class and Best-in-Class medicines requires at least 10 years of end-to-end R&D. Pursuing innovation with that kind of tenacity and perseverance requires courage.

Lastly, we believe innovation is ongoing and can come from anywhere. China’s biotech sector has developed rapidly, and we’ve seen many breakthroughs in recent years. This includes our CAR-T cell therapies in hematologic cancers, which were developed in close collaboration with Chinese biotech firms. I hope that all Chinese scientists are aware that partnering with J&J can help them not only connect with the international community but broaden their horizons professionally.

Q: How do you help employees grow their careers?

A: Knowing that our employees and managers are incredibly busy, we offer extensive—and accessible—skills and development opportunities to all. Internally, for example, you’ll find rotational program opportunities in which colleagues can try out different roles.

While we look at past experience, we also consider potential and aspirations—so we can help ensure that everyone achieves their career goals. That’s why, when we hire new people, we always provide a range of talent development offerings and focus on enhancing the skills that matter the most to everyone.

Q: How do you support employees who want to advance as leaders?

A: We have an unusually wide range of professional development offerings, but last year we also launched the “Steady Wings” leadership training camp. It’s a 10-month program, akin to a mini-MBA, with coaching to help leaders reflect on challenges and improve management skills. We also invite J&J global leaders to mentor participants, exposing them to international viewpoints, cross-market insights, and diverse ideas and perspectives.

For me, two qualities I look for in global leaders are:

• Employees who are empowered to be themselves and express themselves authentically
• Managers who challenge people to grow through exposure to a variety of styles and work experiences

My leadership team embodies both qualities—-we’re diverse in terms of strengths and styles. That can sometimes make for some intense meetings, admittedly, but through collaboration we seem to generally arrive at the best outcome or conclusion. It’s a lot of fun.

In a similar vein, we have an exciting goal for the next five years: to cultivate more than 30 Chinese industry leaders. Whether that means people who are rooted locally, leading China’s healthcare development domestically, or people who are stepping onto the global stage, only time will tell. But this is an extremely exciting time to be at this company.

Learn more about opportunities at J&J in China.