BASEL, Switzerland and NUTLEY, N.J., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fifth consecutive year, Roche was named to Science magazine's list of Top 20 Employers in the Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industry, moving up in rank for the fourth straight year to number three on the list, selected from more than 330 companies. Genentech, also a member of the Roche Group was again ranked number one. To view the full list, please visit: http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articl es/2006_10_20/science_2006_top_employer_survey_it_all_starts_with_science/(par ent)/14014
Roche was singled out in three areas: being an innovative leader in the industry, having work culture values that are aligned with personal values and having a clear vision of where it is headed.
"At Roche, our success is based on scientific innovation. Talented people working are the major factor in that success," said Jonathan Knowles, member of the Roche Corporate Executive Committee and Head of Global Research. "The exciting scientific environment we have created, the unique way in which we share knowledge within the company and with our partners in our innovation network, as well as how we develop people helps us to attract new talent and retain the talented people we have."
"We are very proud of the recent Science recognition and other workplace honors that validate our commitment to being an employer of choice," said Gottlieb Keller, member of the Roche Corporate Executive Committee and head Corporate Services and Human Resources.
The Top 20 list was the result of a month-long online survey by Science of readers, subscribers and others working in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Participants rated 330 companies on 42 different attributes from seven different categories: corporate image, leadership and direction, financial prowess, work culture/environment, work/life balance, academics and collegial exchange, and compensation and benefits
When neuroscientist Tanya Wallace-Boon, Ph.D., interviewing with pharmaceutical companies a couple of years ago, she chose Roche because of the strength of its ongoing research and the opportunity she would have to work on novel medicines. "We are not just trying to make incremental changes to already marketed drugs, but are really trying to characterize novel targets that have the potential to be great medicines," said Wallace, who, for the last two years, has been working in Roche's research labs in Palo Alto, CA. "To take this approach is very challenging, but also very exciting and will help us to not only advance our understanding of the diseases we are studying, but also to create innovative therapies to treat these diseases. It is incredibly rewarding."
Roche -- an Employer of Choice
In addition to its ranking on the Science list, Roche has garnered numerous best-employer honors in the U.S., including Fortune's prestigious 2005 "Best Companies to Work For" list, NJ BIZ magazine's 2005 "Best Places to Work in New Jersey," the 2006 AARP "Best Employers for Workers 50 and Over," Pharmaceutical Executive's "Top 50 Companies Driving Industry Growth," Selling Power's Best Company to Sell For, and Health's "Top 10 Healthiest Companies for Women." The company's comprehensive employee health promotion and disease prevention program, Choosing Health(R), has received many notable awards, including the 2006 C. Everett Koop National Health Award, the Fitness Management 2006 Nova Award, the 2005 Award for Worksite Wellness from the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) and the 2004 Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby Coalition Award.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology. In 2005, sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totaled 27.3 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.2 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 70,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Additional information about the Roche Group is available on the Internet (http://www.roche.com) or in the U.S. (http://www.roche.us ).
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