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Meeting highlights:
- Obesity as a Priority for 2025: Novo Nordisk is aiming to evolve obesity management from a prevention and medical perspective.
- Public-Private Collaboration: The need to align with the Spanish national health system to co-develop solutions for obesity care, such as identifying the patient population, allocating resources to treating obesity and promoting education on the disease.
- The Strategic Importance of Spain: Hub for R&D and data science as one of the few countries involved in all areas of Novo Nordisk’s clinical research, one of the top EU countries for commercial operations and a top workforce, centers and institutions that are driving science forward
- Purpose-Driven Leadership: Novo Nordisk values purpose-driven leadership and workforce engagement, resulting in low turnover and high motivation through a shared mission and innovative work culture.
- Looking toward 2030: Rodrigo Gribble emphasizes the need for healthcare systems to adopt technology, empower patients, and balance public and private care to remain sustainable.
- Reflection & Mission: Rodrigo Gribble’s personal goal is to help transform Spain’s healthcare ecosystem and its models for obesity through system-wide collaboration.
EF: What are your main priorities and vision for Novo Nordisk in Spain in 2025?
RG: This is a crucial year for us, especially as awareness of obesity continues to rise. Thanks to the work of patient associations, healthcare systems, and medical organizations, more people now recognize obesity as a serious health issue. That growing understanding makes 2025 a crucial year for progress—and a major opportunity to reach and support millions. The challenge is that obesity is so widespread, that the healthcare system cannot manage it alone. Truly supporting people living with obesity means acting on multiple fronts: strengthening digital tools, investing in patient education and improving access through reimbursement. It calls for a shift in how we operate. Unlike conditions like diabetes or hemophilia, where clear treatment pathways are already in place, obesity still lacks a fully established care structure. That’s what makes 2025 different. It is a turning point—for the country, for our company, and most importantly, for patients who until now have had few effective treatment options beyond diet, exercise, or less effective medicines.
EF: How can Novo Nordisk and the public sector jointly prioritize obesity in Spain?
RG: First, we need to align on one key point: obesity is a disease and, therefore, it needs to be treated. The Spanish healthcare system does recognize this, but its challenge lies in balancing short-term costs with long-term benefits. With limited budgets and legacy obligations, it's understandable. But investing in obesity treatment now could lead to significant long-term savings—even if those savings take time to appear.
One way forward is to identify which patient groups would benefit the most right away. That gives the government a clear starting point. We also need to expand the number of healthcare professionals involved in treating obesity. Currently, it is mostly handled by primary care doctors, cardiologists, and endocrinologists—but there are only around 1,800 endocrinologists in Spain. If 23% of the adult population is obese in Spain and needs medical attention, broader involvement is needed. Everyone must recognize the urgency and collaborate. The first step is to identify priority patients and support doctors with the training they need. That is where we need to start—together.
EF: How is Novo Nordisk leveraging digital tools to enhance patient education and outreach?
RG: When it comes to reaching patients, we follow the rules set for the pharmaceutical industry. That means, of course, we do not speak to patients about specific medicines or our products. We also believe it is more constructive to focus on educating them about the disease itself. Understanding the disease is key.
For the pharma sector, also for us, digital platforms are a way to educate and raise awareness. We also need to recognize that people are already online, using AI tools and social media to get information. So as an industry, we have a responsibility to share accurate, science-based content. If we stay silent, we leave space for misinformation to spread.
EF: What is Spain’s strategic role in Novo Nordisk’s global research and development activities?
RG: Spain plays a key role for us—not only in leading local operations but also in coordinating clinical trials across neighboring countries. Many of our team members here are involved in managing studies that extend beyond Spain’s borders. We have a strong research footprint and participate in trials across all our core therapeutic areas.
Novo Nordisk classifies countries into two categories for research: some focus mainly on obesity and diabetes, which are more prevalent and easier to recruit for. Others—like Spain—are equipped to run more complex trials in areas such as rare blood disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Spain is a “tier one” country, meaning it participates in nearly all of our clinical programs. That’s one of our most significant contributions. In addition to clinical research, Spain is becoming a growing hub for talent. What began with data-related roles is now expanding across different functions. More employees are choosing to live and work in Spain. In fact, it is one of just 12 global locations where Novo Nordisk allows fully remote work and over 40 colleagues who are not tied to the local affiliate are already based here. Spain consistently ranks among our top-performing countries in Europe—and even globally—in both commercial and operational performance.
EF: Why should Spain be prioritized for research investment?
RG: Spain offers several key strengths that we always highlight when advocating for investment. First, we have a highly educated workforce. If you are looking for skilled professionals in a strong academic environment, Spain is an excellent option—with top universities and a solid talent pool, particularly in the medical field. Globally, Spain ranks just behind the U.S. in the number of clinical trials we conduct, which is largely thanks to the high quality of our doctors, researchers, and healthcare infrastructure. In some specialties, Spain boasts some of the most respected and capable medical experts worldwide. That strong scientific base is often the decisive factor in winning support for new projects.
Another major advantage is the quality of life. Spain is an easy sell for talent considering relocation. We have favorable weather, a high standard of living, and a relatively stable political environment. The economy has also been on a steady upward trajectory. All of this makes Spain attractive—not only as a research hub but also as a place to live and work. Within Novo Nordisk, we are seeing increasing openness to the ideas we bring forward because we have consistently shown that we can deliver results.
EF: In your five years, what have you learned about keeping teams engaged and motivated at Novo Nordisk?
RG: I always say I joined the pharmaceutical industry by chance, but I stayed with purpose. What stands out most to me is how people in this field—across the entire industry, not just at Novo Nordisk—are genuinely driven by a sense of purpose. You do not have to push people; they are already inspired by the difference they are making. That has been one of the most powerful lessons for me, especially because the public perception of pharma often does not reflect what it is actually like on the inside.
At Novo Nordisk, that sense of purpose is even more pronounced. We have a clear mission to help patients and a distinct culture we call the Novo Nordisk Way, which aligns everyone around shared values and direction. There is also a healthy balance between respecting what worked in the past and being open to new ideas. People are encouraged to challenge the status quo and continuously improve—and that keeps them engaged. Our employee engagement scores are very high, and our turnover is low, which speaks volumes about the work environment. But as leaders, we still have to evolve. We need to stay open, acknowledge challenges honestly, and adapt quickly. Innovation is not just about new treatments—it’s also about finding better ways to support healthcare professionals and patients.
EF: What decisions must we make today to build a sustainable healthcare system by 2030, and what should its key pillars be?
RG: In Europe—and in many parts of the world—we are facing a major challenge with aging populations. People are living longer, which is great, but it puts pressure on healthcare systems and pension funds. As life expectancy rises, care costs increase, and our current systems may not be able to keep up. To manage this, we need more efficient ways to treat patients. That includes using technology better—not just for patients, but to support doctors. If we can help doctors be more productive and focus on preventing serious illness, we can lower overall healthcare costs.
Another important shift is the evolution of the patient. Today, people are much more engaged in their own health—they want to understand their conditions and actively participate in their care. That presents a major opportunity, and our healthcare systems need to tap into it.
We also need to reconsider the role of private healthcare. In Europe, public systems traditionally managed most of the burden, but more patients are now turning to private providers—they don’t want to wait and are willing to pay for faster access. This shift has only accelerated since COVID-19. The pandemic taught us valuable lessons—how to treat patients remotely, monitor them digitally, and deliver care more flexibly. We can’t afford to lose that momentum; we need to keep building on those advances.
Looking at the bigger picture, national healthcare systems must fully embrace technology. This isn’t just about developing new drugs—it’s about using digital tools and AI to make care more efficient and sustainable. With aging populations and growing demand, the system won’t cope unless we adapt and innovate.
When I started in healthcare 15 years ago, one of the biggest problems was how fragmented everything was. Specialists had no visibility into primary care, so patients often carried printed reports from one appointment to the next—an inefficient and outdated approach. Things have improved, but we still haven’t achieved true integration, even though we should have by now.
Another key issue is the quality of data. With better systems and cleaner, more actionable data, we could make much smarter decisions—identifying who needs specialist care, who can be managed by a general practitioner, and how to tailor treatment more precisely. The technology exists, but we are not yet using it to its full potential.
EF: What are your personal goals for the next five years, and what do you hope to contribute to the future of healthcare?
RG: I joined the pharma industry to help change the way things work. I have always believed in the value we bring—especially through our commercial model—but we can do more, particularly by using technology better. As a systems engineer, I naturally think about systems. Technology can truly transform our model if we focus on supporting healthcare professionals, backing the projects they care about, and finding new ways to add value.
Looking ahead, while diabetes and hemophilia remain priorities, obesity will be absolutely critical—from both a business and patient care perspective. We are focused not just on treatment but on prevention. As a company, we have invested more than 32 million euros in the program COPI (Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative) to raise awareness about the early adoption of healthy lifestyle habits among children and their environment. Spain is one of the six countries selected to implement it, in Madrid. We are reaching families who might otherwise be left behind. To make this happen, we need collaboration—governments, healthcare systems, doctors, and companies like ours must align better. I have seen goodwill on all sides; what is missing is coordination.
Personally, I am not the one developing new medicines — I do not have that skill set. But I want to help build systems and networks that make treatment accessible and effective. That’s something I care deeply about. It matters—to me, to society, and to Novo Nordisk’s mission.
