Quintiles is the only fully integrated biopharmaceutical services company offering clinical, commercial, consulting and capital solutions worldwide with a network of 23,000 engaged professionals across 60 countries. Quintiles pioneered the clinical development industry in India in 1997 and sequentially introduced most of its global services in India and also entrepreneurially developed new global technology services. Quintiles’ product offering in India includes Clinical Development Services, Cardiac Safety, Pharmacovigilance, Data Management, Biostatistics, Laboratory services and Specialized Medical services. This diverse range of product offerings enabled Quintiles to gain market leadership in most of the industry segments that it operates in. Ranked #40 in the Great Place to Work® Institute’s Study and #2 in the Industry Category of the Healthcare sector, Quintiles India is today one of the company’s largest organizations in the region, employing more than 1,500 full-time staff across five locations, representing multiple business lines and offering a wide range of services.
Quintiles India is extremely bullish about Asia and has major plans for expansion. It was the first company in the industry to recognize the region’s potential and the huge opportunities that are now becoming apparent. The first office in the Asia-Pacific market was opened in 1993 and since that time, Quintiles has grown to more than 20 offices in 14 countries in the region.
Quintiles’ geographic footprint is a strong differentiator for the company, and its experience in the Asian market has allowed Quintiles to further leverage its market leading position. By leveraging its strong and growing presence in Asia Pacific with a tremendous network of engaged and talented employees, Quintiles plans to continue to expand its capabilities to meet its customers’ needs. The organization views the coming decade as an “Asian decade” and wants to keep growing its business in this sector, expand its customer partnerships and leverage regional innovation for wider societal benefit.
Over the years, the company brand has become synonymous with the highest ethical and quality standards. An excellent professional ambience, transparency and strong values inculcated in its corporate culture have helped Quintiles differentiate itself and made it a great workplace. When asked Dr. Ferzaan Engineer, CEO, Quintiles India about what makes the company attractive to potential employees, he replies with confidence, “What makes us an employer of choice is our value-based, entrepreneurial and rapidly growing organization which demonstrates an unwavering commitment towards teamwork, people development and training.”
We bring you excerpts of the People Matters interview with Dr. Ferzaan Engineer and Mukund Mandayam, HR Director, Quintiles India.

There is a continuous unprecedented change in the clinical research sector. In such a scenario, how often do you revaluate your business models to ensure they meet and satisfy your customer requirements?
Ferzaan Engineer: The success of any organization is based upon its ability to adapt to a changing environment. We have always believed in reinventing ourselves as a corporation and consider innovation as a key to success. In addition to having a strong Clinical business in India, we are the market leaders in various technology based businesses. This gives us a very strong customer value proposition, and helps us leverage India’s strengths in IT services.

From a business perspective, how important is it for Quintiles to be a great workplace? What are the key ingredients for being one?
Ferzaan Engineer: We are in a people business and I can confidently say that our achievement is based upon the intellectual capital that we possess. Our talented people are at the very core of what we do. If we do not recruit and retain the best and the brightest, we will not succeed. Based on this, being a great workplace is very important for us.
Quintiles is a pioneer and leader in its chosen field, which helps generate a certain momentum and pride, making us an employer of choice. Our strong focus on growth is another important factor. It is always easier to engage people in a growing organization due to the tremendous opportunities on offer. People view us as a learning ground that bolsters individual and collective growth and this has helped us retain and grow talent over a longer period of time. There is of course the softer side of management - principles of fairness, transparency and our ability to look after our people. I would correlate this to cooking. Although everyone is provided with the same ingredients, the way a dish is cooked may differ; the end result ultimately depends on the skills one has!

Apart from fostering an environment of individual development fulfilling personal aspirations, how do you ensure employee engagement and retention?
Mukund Mandayam: A large part of our management focus is on people, and particularly their engagement and retention. Retention is a constant focus for us. We review our attrition scores on a monthly basis and closely analyze the reasons why employees leave us. When we get chronic reasons for attrition, appropriate action is taken to resolve them. Engagement and retention go hand in hand. Line management plays a key role in ensuring staff engagement, which is tracked on various dimensions such as managerial effectiveness, inclusion and teamwork, communication, work-life balance and performance management. We have an extremely supportive line management which is the key to our success.

Quintiles is considered to be the leading biopharmaceutical services company in India. What do you think is the one attribute of your organization that is appealing to prospective employees?
Mukund Mandayam: There are more than one attribute that make us attractive to prospective candidates. Apart from us being the global leader in the biopharmaceutical services industry, we have a powerful employer brand, a unique energizing culture, and a progressive leadership style. We also have positive people management practices which draw the best talent to Quintiles.

What makes Quintiles a great workplace?
Mukund Mandayam: Our people make Quintiles a great workplace!