CFO Intelligence Magazine – Spring 2023
Mila Tartakovsky
Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.
VP Finance and Administration
Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. faced a patent cliff a few years back and announced, in 2018, a shift in focus from cardiovascular and pain products to oncology. The global pharmaceutical company’s top management recognized that the move would involve more than just divesting product lines and reallocating R&D resources.
The U.S. affiliate of the Tokyoheadquartered company also embarked on an internal cultural shift, aiming to “conduct our operations with fewer resources while reinforcing our commitment to patients and employees,” according to Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.’s VP Finance and Administration Mila Tartakovsky, who has been with the $9 billion (global revenue) company since early 2006. In a search for more efficiency, many organizations embrace strategies like digital transformation and automation, but “you cannot eliminate human relationships,” she says. “Even as we rely more on digital and automated activity, the ‘me and you’ factor needs to be front and center.”
Since the concept of Emotional Intelligence was first introduced in the 1990s, many companies started including this topic in leadership development. Tartakovsky’s journey illustrates how the concept of compassionate leadership, and a focus on relationships, are essential in today’s corporate environment.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
“Getting through those challenging years may have been rooted in numbers and clinical development, but it was our resolve to remain focused on our people and grow our individual leadership skills that has truly helped maintain our culture and differentiate Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.,“ she says. “We maintained a culture where employees feel supported, challenged, valued, and respected. It takes practice and a commitment from every single leader every day to successfully transform a company — but the results speak for themselves.”