Ms. Katharina Geppert expressed her honor to accompany more than 300 employees of MSD Vietnam for nearly four years to contribute important values to Vietnam.
Leadership cultivates lasting values
MSD is a world-leading biopharmaceutical company with a history of over 130 years. Two of the four areas of sustainability goals that MSD always prioritizes are: “Access to healthcare and Environmental sustainability”.
“Access to health care” was the first topic that Ms. Katharina mentioned when sharing about MSD’s achievements in the healthcare industry. Most of MSD’s products and inventions currently circulating in Vietnam are life-saving products. These include antibiotics to treat multi-drug resistant infections used in the intensive care unit, immunotherapy drugs for cancer treatment, and disease prevention vaccines.
Ms. Katharina Geppert shared the milestones of nearly three decades of operation in Vietnam: In 2017, MSD was the first company to introduce immunotherapy for cancer treatment in Vietnam. To date, this therapy has been approved by the Ministry of Health for 27 indications to treat 13 different types of tumors, including lung cancer, breast cancer and head and neck cancer.
With over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Ms. Katharina Geppert understands the challenges facing the healthcare system in Vietnam and is committed to accelerating people's access to new vaccines and medicines from MSD, especially those for rare diseases.
Small actions, big meaning
With the goal of “Sustainable Environment”, MSD has made great efforts at the corporate level to minimize the impact of climate change, especially the commitment to “Net-zero emissions” by 2045.
For the sixth consecutive year, MSD has received the “Green Chemistry Challenge” award sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and the American Chemical Society. MSD has consistently ranked No. 1 in the industry and is ranked 38th in the list of the 100 most sustainable companies in 2024 (according to Barron’s, an American financial and investment magazine).
Additionally, MSD ranked first in the list of most responsible American companies (according to Newsweek, an international magazine specializing in news, current affairs, politics and economics), along with many other awards.
MSD's sustainable environmental initiatives in Vietnam are strongly supported by Ms. Katharina Geppert: reducing plastic waste, saving energy, limiting waste from printing and production for events, organizing waste collection in cities such as Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, and soon Da Lat.
In the context of the North being affected by super typhoon Yagi, as General Director of MSD in Vietnam and a member of the Board of Directors of Pharma Group - Pharmaceutical Subcommittee of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham), Ms. Katharina Geppert is working with her staff and colleagues in the industry to realize ideas to help people in the storm-affected areas quickly return to normal life.
In addition, in October 2024, MSD will coordinate with the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Ho Chi Minh City to organize a "Blood Donation Day at MSD office", with the desire to spread the spirit of humanitarian blood donation in the community and continue to create positive impacts for society. This will be the third consecutive year that MSD has organized this meaningful activity.
Sharing her love for Vietnam, Ms. Katharina said: “I am fortunate to work with excellent teams to accompany the Ministry of Health, the team of doctors, vaccination specialists... to improve people's health. I have overcome difficult times with colleagues and people during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
With the long-term vision of a “sustainable” leader, Ms. Katharina will certainly continue to succeed on the journey of not only leading MSD Vietnam to achieve breakthrough achievements in the pharmaceutical industry, but also spreading sustainable, humane and positive values to the Vietnamese community.
