Julia Schmidt

Interview with Julia Schmidt

How did you get in touch with Roche regarding your MA thesis?

In my bachelor studies, I studied International Business at Pforzheim University. During this study, I applied for an internship at Roche in Rotkreuz in the Talent Marketing department. I was able to combine this with my bachelor thesis. Already here I was able to focus on Diversity & Inclusion: Diversity and Inclusion creating value? An analysis for Roche Diagnostics International in Rotkreuz for Talent Marketing.

After successfully completing my internship, I was given the opportunity to switch to the Open Innovation department. Open Innovation includes, among other things, collaboration with external organizations, such as universities and startups. I decided to combine this with a part-time Master’s degree at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Business Development. In this context, I wrote my Master Thesis and decided to focus on the topic of Diversity & Inclusion again.

You successfully wrote an MA thesis at Roche, could you briefly summarize what it was about?

My topic was: How can the global Roche D&I strategy be adapted and implemented at the local context of Roche Diagnostics in Rotkreuz? It was about translating the global, high-level strategy for the Swiss site in Rotkreuz. For this purpose, I conducted qualitative interviews with all relevant stakeholders and sent a quantitative online questionnaire to the employees of the Rotkreuz site.

Were you able to give any tips to Roche? What was a tip for Roche?

With the topic of D&I, it is important that all employees are involved and addressed. It should not only be driven by the Leadership or People & Culture Department. To achieve this, there must be concrete opportunities for employees to actively get involved. A local D&I network is one potential approach. This was a suggestion from me, but the idea of a network existed before this.

This is a valuable tip. How has your MA thesis enriched your professional life?

My bachelor’s as well as master’s theses have allowed me to pursue my interest in D&I. Through these projects, I have been able to interact with many people and gain new knowledge and deep insights into the subject. It has also allowed me to expand my professional network.

I enjoyed diving into a new subject area alongside my work in Open Innovation.

Why is it necessary to have work like yours?

Working in collaboration with companies gives student:in a hands-on experience. It’s fun to work on a real challenge. Students also get an insight into the organization, in Roche’s case an international group.

The company benefits from the students› new perspectives and ways of thinking.

What advice would you give to future students?

It is a challenge to meet the expectations of the college / university and Roche. Often these differ and as a student you also have to coordinate and prioritize.

Also, the workload is very high when you combine writing a thesis with a part-time job.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I don’t know yet. I approach my life and career with an open mind and flexibility. At the moment, I’m in Pune, India, until July 2023; what comes after that remains to be seen. What I can say is that I am aiming for an 80% position in Switzerland, Germany or Denmark.

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