CEO Insights Magazine

Pharmaceutical industry leaders and companies face complex issues that grow more challenging by the day. The impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare systems, growing geopolitical and economic tensions, an aging population, the growth of non-communicable diseases, and changes in technology continue to impact operations in all pharmaceutical companies — from R&D through to manufacturing, marketing, and regulatory approval. For a pharmaceutical organization to survive and thrive in the face of such constant flux, competent leadership is essential.

Maurizio Luongo is a leading figure in the APAC Pharmaceutical industry, with years of expertise and a propensity for success in dynamic, fast-paced environments. As the Chief Executive Officer of Menarini Asia-Pacific, a leading specialty care, primary care, and consumer health company committed to improving health and lives, Maurizio Luongo has a clear direction in driving the firm to new heights and being a part of the successful journey. Luongo is the company's steward of governance, capable of managing multiple priorities, and has been successful in growing the company footprint in the APAC region. His team of over 3,600 dedicated individuals together manages a broad yet complementary portfolio of high-quality proprietary and partner-developed healthcare brands from some of the world’s most innovative biopharmaceutical companies.

In an exclusive interaction with CEO Insights Asia, Maurizio Luongo opens up about his professional traits as well as the unique proposition of Menarini Asia-Pacific.

Describe your leadership approach and what has been your success mantra.

John Quincy Adams once said, 'If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and  become more, you are a leader'. This is how I define successful leadership. It represents the standard to which I hold myself – someone who not only gets the job done but strives to invigorate the lives of our trusted colleagues at Menarini Asia Pacific and the people and patients we serve across the Asia-Pacific region.

Fundamentally, I believe in making things happen. This means being open to new ideas and never ruling out any possibility. Everyone can have good ideas, from industry veterans to fresh graduates. Hence, I make it a point to listen to all opinions and take quick, decisive action to pre-empt issues and tackle challenges head-on.

Every day, there are many tasks to do, but only a few truly matter and will deliver the results we seek. Focusing on what is important and seeing it through is critical to achieving success. This is why one of Menarini Asia-Pacific’s core values is Ambition. It drives me and my team to seek out alternative solutions, capitalizing on our know-how and extensive market coverage in both Rx and OTC products to accelerate our quest to meet healthcare needs in the region.

What are the growth factors you look into to ensure the company moves towards achieving its objectives?

Success at Menarini Asia-Pacific means having the right team with the right aptitude and attitude while establishing a clear, strategic framework and well-  defined goals for everyone to work towards. At the same time, our partners trust us to operate at the highest levels of integrity and compliance across 13 key markets in the region. It is therefore critical to effectively manage incentives to motivate the entire organization in achieving these objectives together, in the right way.

Above all, we need to work hard, driven by Menarini Asia-Pacific’s core values such as passion, curiosity, people care, and urgency to act. As our business impacts life, having a strong sense of urgency is especially important. In our quest to ensure unhindered access to medicines in the region, we remain agile and responsive amidst an evolving market, to help improve the health of patients underserved by other pharmaceutical companies.

In recent years, this resulted in us leveraging digitalization and technology to grow our omnichannel strategy. By offering more products online and working with regulatory authorities toreclassify some prescription-only medicines as overthe- counter drugs, we have increased market access to some of our medicines.

What are some industry best practices you have brought into the company’s offerings and operations from your past experiences?

I spent years in the FMCG and pharmaceutical industries championing growth in dynamic and fast-paced environments. This has instilled the importance of strong product lifecycle management And a passion to serve patients across our 13 markets. At the same time, I am reimagining our marketing approach with an omnichannel strategy, while converting customers into brand advocates through concerted marketing and promotional efforts. Above all, responsibility and integrity are core values that underpin how Menarini operates. As a family business, we not only have our own name to preserve – we are trusted by our partners to act properly with the integrity they expect.

How do you nurture a learning culture in your team to draw valuable market insights?

From ground staff to senior management, I encourage everyone in Menarini Asia-Pacific to share their ideas, while our code of conduct creates a safe environment to give and receive constructive feedback. With patient needs constantly evolving, we need to listen to our customers and experience the situation on the ground in person to identify and bridge gaps.

Leading by example, I go to pharmacies to observe how consumers and pharmacists interact and visit our markets in Asia-Pacific to better understand their challenges. Lastly, our sales representatives are a great source of insights, having a deep understanding of the needs of customers across the healthcare system, and helping hcps manage their patients’ treatment decisions more efficiently and effectively.

What is the future destination you are heading towards?

At this point, my focus is on securing the continued success of Menarini in this part of the world. Today, Menarini Asia-Pacific is one of the top three growth drivers of the Group and it is firmly committed to growing our footprint and impacting more lives across the region.

I am enjoying my current role and working alongside my team of more than 3,600 passionate individuals across our 13 markets to invigorate more lives. As for what the future holds for me, we shall see.

Maurizio Luongo, CEO, Menarini Asia-Pacific

Maurizio Luongo is the Chief Executive Officer at Menarini Asia-Pacific, based in Singapore. He has held positions as Marketing Manager at Tigi Italia Healthcare, Product Manager at Skin Care L'Oréal Paris, and Group Manager of Business Unit Consumer Healthcare at Angelini Pharma. Luongo graduated with an MBA from Stoà Institute in cooperation with MIT and has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics from Salerno University.