14 years of driving high performance at Novartis

For more than a decade, DoThinkDo has partnered with Novartis to develop confident, high-performing Finance leaders. The programme equips leaders with the skills to inspire teams, drive performance and lead through change.

Novartis is a global healthcare company working to reimagine medicine and improve people’s lives around the world. By combining cutting-edge science with innovative medical technology platforms, the organisation focuses on addressing the needs of patients with some of the most serious diseases.

• 78k+ employees
• 296m patients reached

“DoThinkDo has had a transformational impact on our business…” - Hans Horne, Head of Finance Training & Development

The Challenge

Novartis’ senior leadership team wanted to develop a new generation of high-performing Finance leaders, who could inspire their teams, strengthen engagement, and lead with confidence.

However, they found that previous learning initiatives had struggled to create lasting change. Many programmes were too theoretical, making it difficult for leaders to translate ideas into real-world behaviour.

To truly elevate leadership performance, Novartis needed a different approach, one that would challenge leaders, push them outside their comfort zones, and enable them to practise new behaviours in a practical, supportive environment.

The goal was clear: build confident, influential Finance leaders who could drive performance while bringing their teams with them.

The Solution 

Novartis decided to partner with DoThinkDo to design a high-potential leadership programme tailored specifically to the needs of Finance leaders. The programme focused on developing the core leadership capabilities required to perform and lead effectively in a complex global organisation.

DoThinkDo created a programme whereby particpants could develop skills in:

• Communicating with impact and influence
• Performance management
• Handling difficult conversations
• Leading through change and transformation

The fully bespoke programme was delivered over two weeks through a series of highly interactive and practical workshops.

Instead of following previous programme structured around passive learning, participants engaged in DoThinkDo’s science-based behaviour change approach, getting out of their seats and actively practising new skills in realistic scenarios.

Through small-group coaching and personalised feedback, every participant received targeted support focused on their individual leadership journey, helping accelerate meaningful and lasting behaviour change.

“The team created a safe yet challenging environment where leaders could find their true potential.” - Hans Horne, Head of Finance Training & Development

The Results

The impact of the initial programme was so powerful that the partnership between Novartis and DoThinkDo has continued for 14 consecutive years. Over time, the programme has delivered significant long-term value, helping develop a strong pipeline of confident Finance leaders across the organisation.

• 4.95/5 average feedback score from Novartis leaders in 2023
• 18% of participants promoted within 12 months of the programme
• 300+ Novartis leaders trained by DoThinkDo since 2009
• 66% of participants are still working in the Finance business unit

The Verdict

“The success of the programme speaks for itself, with the majority of participants getting promoted faster and staying at Novartis for longer.” - Hans Horne, Head of Finance Training & Development