Why Should You Put Effort in Creating True Partnerships?

The recent events have shown that true partnership can not only survive an unexpected global crisis, but they can become even stronger in spite of it.

How have partner relationships changed and what do they look like in the new normal?
The pandemic has showed us that true partnership concepts where both parties are set up for a win-win are solid, not even sustain trough crisis situations, but strengthen the collaboration. We at Boehringer Ingelheim, the biggest independently / family owned pharma company are in a fortunate situation that our culture fosters this approach.

How to choose the right partners that share your vision?
The selection process is only the beginning of a potential partnership. It takes many years and a lot of efforts in building up trust and integration with external companies to move from a commodity supplier, through a providership status to the final stage of a partnership with equal partners.

Where do you see the future of procurement?
As we all have learnt through the pandemic the world is ever-changing and despite all conceptional and processual framing not entirely under our control. Only such organisations who are agile enough to adapt to disruptive changes will be the partner of choice for the external environment, but also for internal business partners.

Michael Doell, Head of Global Category Clinical Development at Boehringer Ingelheim has worked in different strategic sourcing roles. Michael has worked both, in local leadership as well as global functions. His in-depth category expertise spans from Marketing, Media & Sales, Professional Services to more pharma specific Clinical Development. Michael has not only a profound knowledge of market trends, but also is an expert in supplier relationship management and internal business partnering. At Boehringer Ingelheim he has joint the Global Management Development Program which not only enriches his strategic assets, but also hands-on business acumen in a social enterprise (discovering hands ©). In his 25 years career in the pharma industry Michael Doell has led many multiple disruptive global initiatives, such as recently the holistic risk management project “Know Your Business Partner”.