Discussions about the meaning of life aren’t often had in corporate treasury, but at Roche, the treasury team have clear ideas about living a life of purpose and fulfilment. For Britta Döttger, Head of Treasury at Roche, the Japanese concept of Ikigai is a guiding force and sums up how she approaches her work. The Japanese concept, which was popularised by Mieko Kamiya in her book ‘On the Meaning of Life’ hinges on a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment. Döttger describes Ikigai as a “collision of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs and what you can get paid for.” And where the circles come together and overlap is where you have the sweet spot, or Ikigai. Luckily for her those circles came together in her treasury role and also align with her company’s ethos and values. Speaking about Ikigai, she says, “I found it here at Roche and this is because everything is patient centric and there’s a human purpose.”

The company’s ethos and values are integrity, courage and passion, which guide the employees’ actions and decisions. And although the treasury team is not in direct contact with patients, they still feel a strong sense of purpose in the work they do.

Döttger explains that core values in practice can extend to the diligence in how processes and systems are set up – as in a treasury transformation – and integrity extends to doing the right thing for the benefit of the patients and the company. And for Döttger, on a personal level, she is glad to be working for a company with a clear purpose: “I have lost too many colleagues and close friends to cancer. For me it was really like a heartfelt desire to really contribute and help here,” she explains.

Treasury has a keen role in ensuring that the company stays relevant in a rapidly-changing external environment, and part of this includes the treasury transformation journey that the team has been on for a number of years. The treasury team’s transformation has been built on five pillars, as Martin Schlageter, former Head of Treasury Operations at Roche, explains. He has witnessed many changes over the years and is now reflective – as he retires after a distinguished career – about the progress that has been made.

The initial goal, he explains, was to increase transparency, standardisation and centralisation of processes. The pillars and key themes are outlined below: