Hearing the voice of the patient?

I am Taksina and I have been working in the field of Financial Planning & Analysis for 20 years. I worked in the FMCG industry for 10 years and Pharmaceutical industry for another 10 years. I joined Roche 5 years back as Head of Financial Planning and Analysis. Now, I am the Strategic Planning Lead for Roche Thailand, Myanmar, Lao, and Cambodia.

Going beyond finance

Roche has been undergoing a transformation in the way its working to deliver better outcomes to our patients. This transformation has changed the way we look at our roles and made them better. Before the transformation in Roche, my key task was mainly related to Budgeting, Controlling, Analysing and Reporting. It also involved securing the company’s top & bottom lines and providing value added analysis under financial base in order to support the best business decisions. 

After transformation, my work is no longer limited to finance but it is more about strategic planning and beyond finance projects. I started enjoying my work even more and it helps me bring my passion to work every day. I love interacting with people. What drives me is that whenever I feel stuck at any point, I remind myself that- ‘patients are waiting’. With the transformation, we have transitioned from a fixed budget and fixed annual brand plan to a more flexible Event Driven Planning. Now, we fully adapt and integrate to our new way of working. With no budget, the resource allocation is more flexible and dynamic than it used to be before.

The transformation in Roche Thailand started in 2018. Not everybody knows that around the same time, something happened that forced me to take a different perspective of life.

"In all that darkness, I felt gratitude"

In December 2018, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Up until then, I didn’t fully comprehend the intensity of emotions that comes with it. I did not know how to start and where to start from, mainly because cancer treatment is not a one-stop service. It is a journey and can actually be a long and unpredictable one.

But, I did not allow myself to stew in dismay. I started counting the positives- the numerous ways my diagnosis and treatments could have gone wrong but did not. In all that darkness, I felt gratitude.  I was lucky that I got an early diagnosis. This means more treatment options were available to me and I had a higher chance of survival. Within a month of diagnosis, I had a full breast mastectomy. Since the operation, I have never been disappointed with the change in my appearance. I feel I am a beautiful and strong cancer survivor.

I have battled through this phase and I feel that it is my responsibility to share my story with others. I joined various Roche events and became the voice of the patient.  By sharing my story, the teams in Roche who work to help to improve the patient’s cancer journey, understood my fears, my doubts, my concerns, and started mapping out a patient’s journey with all my input included.

Many assume that not getting the right treatment is the first major thing a cancer patient thinks about, but the first question in my mind was how do I break this news to my mother. 

Our impact

As a patient, I have a strong drive to help other patients overcome their struggles, and face their journey with the utmost courage and compassion. I speak regularly to patients, share facts and motivational stories. I also take part in many patient support group events held in Thailand. I am also the author of the Facebook fan page called the “one breast cat”.

Although I work in Finance, my way of working and thinking has really changed. I can say that what I am doing today is beyond finance or my day-to-day work at Roche. My purpose is bigger.

Business sustainability and profit is still very important but I know now that accessibility to medicines is the most important thing. I constantly think about how in finance, we can help drive our innovative medicine to patients. In addition, how we as Roche, can map out a realistic patient’s journey.

I ask myself 'What can I do for the patients, as an individual working at Roche'.

The place to Work

I am extremely proud of working at Roche.

Roche allows me to initiate and share my idea, test it, and make it happen. I can utilize my capability in various ways. Working with Roche makes me feel that I can add value to my life and the lives of patients.