A well-travelled career path

For Sabine, who leads Boehringer Ingelheim’s global people strategy, continuous development is the essence of a successful career. Clear aspirations and openness to new opportunities are her key ingredients.

The road to Buenos Aires

When I started working, I didn't have a clear career path mapped out. I wanted to gain practical work experience and get to know different cultures. I don’t think you need to know your exact dream position, but you do need to know what kind of work you want to do – and then talk about it. I knew early on that I wanted to go to Latin America. Back then, the former Country Managing Director of Argentina was on a business trip in Ingelheim, where I just had joined as an International Trainee. I took the chance to talk to him and said, ’I'm really interested in working in your country. Would you have a job for me?’ And he had – so I started working in Marketing & Sales Human Pharma in Buenos Aires.

A strategy for everyone

‘Winning with People’ is the name and the core focus of our people strategy. We want to make sure that, from the moment they come aboard, every single person can use their full potential and continue to develop throughout their entire career with us. We provide tools and opportunities for personal growth because we’re convinced that learning doesn’t stop when employment starts – quite the opposite. 

Lifelong learning – a personal view

I support a mindset where everybody is the architect of their own development. It's not just the supervisor or the employee; it’s always a joint effort. Lifelong learning is the only way that we – as a company, but also as individuals – can stay on top of our areas of expertise. To me, lifelong learning means continuously challenging and improving myself – not just taking a course but making a journey that can take several months, in small pieces, so that I really change habits. 

Learning anytime, anywhere

That’s why we set up Boehringer Ingelheim University. It offers a wide range of courses to upskill everyone. Our employees can access these learning offers via our Virtual Campus, which makes learning available anytime, with any device. In addition, for our newly appointed and experienced leaders, a Leadership Academy offers training and inspiration, supporting our leaders to perform at their best. 

Shared goals, shared success

Over the last 26 years I’ve held different roles in Latin America, Finland, and Germany. What matters to me most is the impact of building highperforming teams: working together, breaking-up silos, and guide teams to thrive towards shared goals are my personal key success factors. And I always remember the trust that was placed in me, no matter what position I had – especially when I threw myself in at the deep end when I started my job in Paraguay. That sense of psychological safety really empowered me simply to try things out and do my best. Retrospectively, it worked out most of the time – and if it didn’t, I could count on support.