Looking Outside Openness: Marcel Braun, Pharmacist & Novartis Exhibition Director

Aug 8, 2023

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In this episode of Looking Outside we explore living your life and career curiously through an openness to learning with trained pharmacist and director of the Novartis Pavillon exhibiting the wonders of medicine, Marcel Braun.

Marcel studied pharmacy but throughout his career has remained open to entering new fields and living in new places, something he calls both accidental in drifting from one opportunity to another, and intentional as he ticked off ‘dream roles’ from his bucket list. From roles in forensic accounting, corporate philanthropy, even national pharmacist for Vanuatu, and across disciplines ranging business administration, biology and chemistry … Marcel has worn many hats. He credits this to both chance (“What are the odds that I got to do everything I did?”) but equally to openness; as opportunities came up, scary or divergent as they may have been, Marcel first and immediate said yes, then worked out how to make it happen second.

Committing yourself to new career paths doesn’t mean it has to be forever, as Marcel says, “A career is like a ladder, you can climb up and realize it’s leaning on the wrong wall.” Just as shifting careers doesn’t mean a complete departure from what you did before. Today Marcel heads up the exhibition in Basel, Switzerland for Novartis’ Pavillon, an exhibition that displays the past, present and future of medicine. While this may seem like a departure from pharmaceutical research or philanthropy, Marcel explains it’s connected, as much of the work in medicine is about good communication. Medicine, science and treatments are detailed topics with complex histories that must be explained simply.

Jo and Marcel, both having lived and worked in various parts of the world, also explore what it means to adapt to and learn a new culture when relocating (in Marcel’s case, more then 11 times). Marcel says for him it’s about learning the culture through curiosity, as often it is little differences that mean an act can show offense or respect. He also credits being able to speak at least a little of the native language in building comfort and confidence, and to staying away from ‘toxic’ people who are unhappy with their experience (in other words, don’t just hang out with frustrated expats).

Marcel and Jo also discuss the benefits of building interdisciplinary skills, as a way to create more unique career paths and a unique identifier for yourself by combining seemingly unconnected backgrounds, training or cultures. Marcel did this, wearing his ‘pharma backpack’ along with his ‘financial backpack’, and found it’s the cross-over of varied disciplines that helps you find new solutions to old problems.

Despite having pushed himself into so many varied careers, Marcel says he wished he had said yes to more things. As it’s often the case that you underestimate what you’re capable of until you push yourself to the point past discomfort. But it’s only when you keep your radar wide, and stay open, that you find those new opportunities because often, “You can’t imagine what else could be out there”.

To look outside, Marcel became a passionate beekeeper. This is something that he never dared to start with extensive travels, and now has the time, patience and perseverance for. This is Marcel’s place to settle and be in the ‘now’, because when you’re in the beehive you have to focus. He calls the experience fully immersive, from the noise of the bees to the stickiness of the honey, and therefore uses it as a way to refresh his senses like a holiday. And even though he has been stung painfully and many times, 15-20 stings per year, it doesn’t deter him, in fact it reminds him constantly to stay in the moment.

Marcel Braun is the Director Novartis Exhibition at the newly opened Novartis Pavillon in Switzerland. Marcel took the “Wonders of Medicine” exhibition in the new Novartis Pavillon from concept to realization on the floor. Today he coordinates and manages the Novartis Exhibition in Basel.

Before his latest endeavor, he was heading the Novartis “SMS for Life” program (that aims to eliminate stock-outs of essential medicines through simple, affordable and widely available technologies in of Low and Middle Income Countries). He worked as Program Director at the UBS Optimus Foundation and previously as a “Corporate Donations Expert” at F.Hoffmann La-Roche, during which time he carried out numerous CSR activities and also supported the global donation activities of the company and affiliated foundations, including as a member of the Foundation Board.

As a qualified pharmacist with additional degrees in business administration and CSR, he has acquired extensive experience of health projects around the world. He worked as the National Pharmacist for AusAID on the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. As part of a mandate from the Swiss TPH, he monitored vaccination data for GAVI and the program implementation in various African countries for the Global Fund. Pharmacists without Borders sent him to Tajikistan and he worked in hospitals in the Mekong Delta. As a member of the Medicine workgroup of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA), he is available for deployment, as for example in the case of the earthquakes in Nepal in 2015. He also worked for Ernst & Young as a Forensic Auditor for five years, investigating white-collar crime and corruption around the globe.

Connect with Marcel on LinkedIn
Learn more about the 'Wonders of Medicine' Exhibit at Novartis' Pavillon www.pavillon.novartis.com

Looking Outside is a podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. The show is hosted by its creator, Joanna Lepore, consumer goods innovator and futurist at McDonald's. Find out more at looking-outside.com.

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OBOY and Isaac Joel music features in Episode 40.