Foreign Views Belén Garijo Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Merck “I am inspired by humble leaders: you are here to serve” Belén Garijo (Almansa, Spain, 1960) is one of the most Above all, I am inspired by committed leaders, those who influential Spanish women in the international science feel responsible for their results, from start to finish. and technology ecosystem. After studying and practising medicine in Madrid, she moved into the pharmaceutical How do you build a strong corporate culture? industry, working for companies including Abbott, It can only be done from the top of the organisation, Aventis and Sanofi, until she joined the Merck Group, leading by example. Leaders have a duty to exemplify which is listed on the DAX index, in 2011. In 2021, she the model they want for their organisation through their became the CEO and chair of the board of this German behaviour. If we do not lead by example, everything we company. She is a director of the Spanish bank BBVA say about culture will lack credibility and be nothing more and, for ten years, has also been a director of L’Oréal. than empty words. There is also a crucial element that has to do with the executive committee’s firm commitment When was the first time you considered yourself to taking decisive action on all matters relating to a leader? culture and the position it occupies. And then we need We could begin by debating whether a leader is born or to stimulate a cascade effect so that the behaviours and made... but for me, it is a combination of both. The first values we promote take root and become ingrained at all time in my life that I experienced the feeling of leadership levels, across all our teams and individuals. dates back to the distant past, when I had to fight to get into medical school. At that point, I realised that I could Why do meetings usually fail? inspire and mobilise people to achieve a common goal. They often fail because of the basics: there is no clear I must have been 17... Leadership has a lot to do with objective and the participants are unsure of what is transforming a reality that can be driven forward by using expected of them. It is important to begin meetings by all the resources at your disposal. Back then, we joined explaining the objective and listing the decisions that forces, stood up and raised our voices against something need to be made. On occasions, too much time is spent we felt was unfair. People listened to me, and that made trying to reach absolute consensus, which is sometimes me feel very satisfied. impossible to achieve. Because not everyone has to be on the same page about every single detail. Once Which leadership qualities inspire you the most? a decision has been made, it must be accepted and I am inspired by humble leaders, those who never lose sight respected by all the members of the executive team. of the fact that you are there to serve the team. I am also inspired by ambitious leaders, those who believe that there Is now the time for strategy or tactics? is no barrier that cannot be overcome in order to achieve The challenge we leaders have faced in recent years, more. The fighters, those who never throw in the towel. particularly since the pandemic, has been to resolve 32