Sharing wisdom and aspirations from our people around the world
Diverse heritages and a broad range of experiences combine to create innovative and dynamic workplaces. At Teva, those heritages and experiences are drawn from five continents, shaping a unique place to learn, collaborate and innovate. From West Yorkshire to Beijing, Tel Aviv to South Carolina, our people share their life insights and experience.
UK
“There's a phrase that always sticks in my mind: 'Never regret anything, because at one time it was exactly what you wanted'. Every experience you have, shapes who you are, so don't be afraid to try something new!”
A childhood love of Lego and Meccano fostered Rebecca Shepherd’s interest in engineering and she took up her first work experience placement with the Royal Air Force aged just 15. As a Chartered Engineer, she works as a Senior Engineering Team Leader in Runcorn, UK, producing products and devices to help patients manage their health conditions.
New Jersey
“The most successful leaders have a high EQ (Emotional Quotient), recognizing that everything we do involves people. If you can’t help people, reach people, empathize with people, it becomes challenging for them – or you – to be successful. But if you listen more, you’ll hear more and understand more.”
Senior Director Susie Freda has gained a stellar reputation for coaching, advancing and mentoring colleagues, driven by her own early experiences as a mentee. Conscious of the pressures of jugging work and family, she is also keen to highlight the challenges faced by women and mothers in the workplace.
China
From a childhood dream of working with cars to a career as Head of Regulatory Affairs at Teva Beijing, Peng Sun has spent the last few years growing Teva’s Chinese operation. Outside of work, he enjoys Sanshou and playing the guitar - and one day hopes to master Hotel California.
Learn more about Peng SunBelgium
“Sometimes it’s good to escape when you have a busy job. That’s one reason I scuba dive. You’re completely disconnected from normal life and submerged in unbelievable beauty.”
Hundreds of thousands of people die every year because of fake medicines and as part of Teva’s Corporate Security team, it’s Kris Van Deuren’s job to help to prevent this. He collaborates with international agencies to hunt down and dismantle billion dollar counterfeit medicine operations.
Find out more about the important work Kris doesPennsylvania
“Always know and remember your ‘why’. This is the advice I share. I know my ‘why’. It’s what drives me. Remembering this helps me recalibrate, refocus, and realign. I know from speaking with colleagues that many of them gravitated to the industry due to personal experiences that shaped their ‘why’.”
Inspired to work in the pharma industry because of his father’s experience with diabetes, Dr Riad Dirani specializes in researching not only the clinical but the human impact of conditions including heart disease and cancer. This ability to make a difference in patients’ lives is what drives him every day.
Read more about Riad’s workIndia
An avid reader with a naturally curious mind, Dr Radha Shekar was drawn to a career in science from an early age. Although she occasionally experienced challenges as a young woman in a male-dominated world, she went on to become Teva’s first female VP in India.
Read Radha’s storyCroatia
“There are still places in the world where women are not equal. It is important that we all, women and men, fight to make sure people are treated the same in all aspects. If things have improved in terms of equality, it’s because, in my opinion, women are doing it for themselves.”
Romana Santar, Site General Manager at Teva’s api facility in Zagreb, is a firm believer that feeling good about what we do – in work and life outside work – makes us more creative.
Read Romana’s storyGermany
“I think one of the most important traits of a good leader is vision. Clear vision gives direction when facing otherwise hard-to-make decisions. Clear vision provides a sense of purpose and resilience when things don’t go as expected. A stand-out leader is authentic, confident and instils confidence in others. If the leader is not confident, who will be?”
Based in Ulm and working with colleagues around the world, from Romania to New Jersey, Sebastian Horn MD is focused on patient safety and the process of building trust in his role as Head of Global Patient Safety and Pharmacovigilance.
Find out more about SebastianThe Netherlands
As a participant in Teva’s dynamic mentorship program, Ana Horvat, Senior Director of Strategy and Program Management for Global Procurement and Facilities, is excited to be part of a global approach to advancing and accelerating the global development of women.
Read Ana’s storyFlorida
“I see a lot of talented women in our industry. There are rightly concerns about women lagging behind men in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) related careers and more needs to be done to encourage women in to those career paths. This makes me even prouder of the fact that seven of the 14 managers in my leadership team are women!”
Working her way up from a junior data admin assistant to running Teva’s clinical trial facility in Florida and leading a team of over 100 people, Paula Turner has a deeply personal interest in her work – as a diabetic who takes several of the medicines that have been tested in her facility.
Meet Paula and hear her storyChile
"At Teva, opportunities are always available, you just need to be patient and persevere. The management is always open and available to facilitate opportunities and help their workers to achieve their goals.”
A Teva employee for 49 years, Teva Santiago’s Payroll Manager Marcos Almendras credits the company with giving him everything, including his wife, another Teva employee whom he met while personally delivering salaries in envelopes - the way things were done in the 1970s.
Read Marcos’ storySouth Carolina
Former NFL football star Woody Dantzler credits his former footballing career with providing him with all of the skills - discipline, drive, motivation and team-work – he needs for his current role as a respiratory sales specialist.
Read Woody’s storyArgentina
“Having a diverse leadership team is critical for success. The very fact that the team is diverse raises the bar. Usually, diversity and gender balance give you enhanced collaboration, different perspectives, a wider talent pool, a better understanding of market trends and customer needs.”
As Country GM for Teva Argentina and Uruguay, based in Buenos Aires, Juan Meli believes in leading transformation by example and empowering diversity from the top.
Find out more about Juan’s storyIsrael
“Inclusion & Diversity is something that I feel strongly about and it’s increasingly top-of-mind when talents consider their options. We’re all learning together on that I&D journey and I’m sure Teva will get even stronger as a company and I’ll grow as a person.”
A recent appointment, Director of Corporate Communications for International Markets Cedric Jungpeter joined Teva because he wasn’t just looking for a job, he was looking for a purpose.
Read Cedric’s storyHungary
Working as a hands-on leader is important to Beata Juhasz who visits colleagues on the shop floor at Teva’s Debrecen facility every day in her role as Operational Quality Assurance Manager. At home, she unleashes her creativity by baking, experimenting with cake flavours and designs.
Meet Beata
Embracing the values and knowledge of many cultures strengthens our understanding and appreciation of the world. At Teva we continue to work every day to enhance this understanding and support the patients and health systems we work with globally.