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Contribution and dedication: Takeda in Indonesia President Director calls Indonesia home
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ndreas Gutknecht’s career has taken him on a trip around the world, but the Swiss man may have found his calling in Indonesia with PT. Takeda Innovative Medicines.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post in Takeda’s office in Jakarta headquarters, Gutknecht spoke of his early upbringing in a small rural town of 15,000 people, or “the exact opposite of Jakarta” as he puts it.
Born to a civil servant couple, Gutknecht undertook his studies at a business school, where a majority of his colleagues went into banking, financial auditing, or consultancy. Only about five students took a different path, himself included.
“I just wanted to do something meaningful, and to me, health care is one of the most meaningful areas to work in. That was the driver for my motivation, and the other thing was that I wanted to see the world, so I wanted to work for a multinational company,” he said.
True enough, Gutknecht’s calling led to roles in multinational healthcare companies on five continents, before finally settling in at Takeda in Indonesia in 2021.
Still, he joined the company at a very interesting point in time, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted and changed the world, with the effects still felt to this day.
With the social restrictions still strictly in place, Gutknecht remembered his first (online) town hall meeting on his very first day, talking to people he never met before in front of a computer.
Did he miss meeting people? “I definitely missed the face-to-face interaction, but we also had a very tragic time in Covid here; we had several coworkers that lost their lives, so people were very cautious, and we respected that.”
According to Gutknecht, one of the lessons that has been applied is that there are no fixed rules of how much employees have to be in the office, as the company found that the policy worked “quite well” as employees were able to function wherever they were.
“It's meaningful to have face-to-face interactions - that's why we create an environment with this new office where this is fostered - but in the end, we also understand that people have no appetite to spend three hours in macet [traffic] every day, five days a week. [...] We want to be flexible because I think it changed the way we see our private life and our presence at home. For me it was the same case,” he said.
Combating dengue, one step at a time
With Indonesia slowly containing COVID-19, the country has also turned its focus to addressing dengue fever, a mosquito-borne, potentially life-threatening disease that has been designated by the World Health Organization in 2020 as one of 10 major threats to global public health.
Research in 2020 by the Health Ministry found that in the preceding six years, every province and more than 80 percent of all regencies in Indonesia had reported cases of dengue fever.
People can get dengue up to four times, with no specific treatment available, making prevention key. Its widespread prevalence makes the disease a threat regardless of location, age, or lifestyle. The dengue-carrying mosquitoes only fly in a range of 100 to 150 meters, which means clusters such as schools, workplaces, and residences are especially vulnerable to outbreaks.
Gutknecht noted that in combating dengue fever, it is important to leverage innovation to achieve the government goal of zero dengue deaths by 2030. For this to happen, he continues, there is a need to enhance awareness about dengue and dengue prevention, while also intensifying vector control or mosquito control. One innovative approach to dengue prevention is through vaccination, which is recommended by medical societies for children and adults.
“Takeda is committed to making all its innovations both vaccines and medicines broadly accessible by working with employers, schools, communities, and the government.” Gutknecht explained, adding that the company together with Bio Farma, a state vaccine producer, had worked with the province of East Kalimantan for the first regional public program to vaccinate 10,000 school children against dengue.
In addition, Takeda has a comprehensive partnership with the Health Ministry to drive awareness campaigns through social media and events under the #Ayo3MPlusVaksinDBD campaign.
Takeda, through Langkah Bersama Cegah DBD, earned an Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) record for the largest signing of a dengue fever-prevention commitment, which received more than 2,500 pledges.
According to Gutknecht, vector control, vaccination, and education for healthcare workers and communities play important roles in tackling the disease.
“It's like COVID. What was more important? Masks or hand sanitizer or vaccines? We needed everything, right? It's a complex disease. It's a major threat. So, we need all parts to work together. And we also need the commitment and close collaboration of the private sector and the government. The government alone will not be able to solve this. So that's why we're calling on employers, communities and residencies to also act on dengue prevention education, which is 3M plus, and vaccination.
“So, this is a fight of a generation, and we need everybody. And the media plays an important role in education and in mobilizing, but it's really all these pieces together,” he said.
A resolution in dedication
Looking back at his own journey that brought him to Indonesia a second time, Gutknecht thinks it was one of two possibilities: a completely random occurrence, or destiny itself.
He counts Australia, Algeria, the United States, Singapore, China, Germany, India, and Switzerland among the places he has worked in, but Indonesia occupies a special place in his heart. After all, it is also where he met his wife who is Indonesian.
“We ended up going back to Switzerland, but I soon realized I'm not that Swiss anymore. I really struggled to work in Switzerland and we both missed Indonesia a lot, so I'm very happy that I could join Takeda here,” he said.
But more than the company, Gutknecht also stressed that his work is also his contribution to the country.
“I want this country to succeed. I want this healthcare system to become better because I’m not just going to leave again. I will one day retire here, so I need to have good health care when I’m 60, right?” he joked.
“So, if anything, I hope I’m remembered as a trusted partner; somebody who cared and was part of something significant, achieving zero dengue deaths by 2030, creating a workplace that is known for its creativity, inclusiveness, and its open mindset, and also for its strong commitment to the purpose.”
“That’s enough, and at the same time be remembered by my kids and my wife as somebody who was home sometimes and spent time with them. That should be true for me and all our colleagues,” he added.
