Robert Marshal says that these days, Western companies are having an easier time finding experienced Russian managers to fill top executive positions. Many Western firms now have Russian general managers, an unheard of situation four or five years ago. The pool of experienced Russian talent just keeps growing.

The Leader: What attracted you to Pfizer?

Mr. Marshal: I was working for the Swiss pharmaceutical company Sunders, when I got a call from a recruitment company. I had experience in prescription drug sales but no experience in over-the-counter, non-prescription drug sales. Pfizer was involved with both. Thus, the move from being general manager at Sunders to becoming general manager at Pfizer was a lateral one.

The Leader: Could you please describe your career path?

Mr. Marshal: I started in this business in England after graduating from university with a degree in chemistry. I became a medical representative promoting pharmaceutical products for the French company, Russel. You have a lot of freedom to organize you work there. The salary was good and there was also a company car. After two years, I joined British company Beecham’s, which later became SmithKline Beecham. I worked in Britain in the marketing department, first as junior product manager, and then later as product manager. I worked in the U.K. division until 1987, when I moved to Beecham's international division.

The Leader: Do you like being the boss?

Mr. Marshal: My job is to get the best out of people by delegating authority to them. In Russia, people are historically used to asking permission before they act. But that’s not really how business works in the West, where you have a role, and responsibility. In the past two years, people have become more accustomed to this idea. I try as much as possible to help people to develop themselves and that, in turn, enables us to fulfill the company's objectives.

The Leader: What are Pfizer's objectives in Russia?

Mr. Marshal: We were having discussions with many factories about collaboration, but after the crisis, everything collapsed. So we've changed our goals to reintroduce our products as widely as possible to patients and to doctors. We are looking to restart the business next year.

Pfizer is refocusing on the regions, expanding, hiring people and training them. We are a representative office that exists to inform doctors about our products. We don’t sell. Distribution companies do that, importing directly from Pfizer overseas.

The Leader: How did the 1998 crisis affect Pfizer?

Mr. Marshal: We lost millions of dollars. We had to fire some people. Pfizer was the first company that many of the Russians here had ever worked at. Like us, they had great expectations for the development of business in Russia. Things are recovering. But we don’t have the kind of vision that companies had generally in 1995-98.

The Leader: How do you train your staff?

Mr. Marshal: We have a training manager and a training program. Most of our employees are medical professionals: doctors, pharmacists, and chemists. They understand basic medicine, but we need to teach them how to explain to doctors the best use of our products. They need computer skills and general business training so they can work alone. We teach them to make effective presentations and how to project a professional image.

The Leader: What positions are in the most demand at Pfizer?

Mr. Marshal: We have bookkeepers, a marketing department that produces promotional materials, and a medical department that registers our products. We need creative people who are self-motivated to work as medical representatives who visit doctors. Later, they can seek promotion to product manager, a position based out of the office.

The Leader: Is it easier for a foreigner or for a Russian to be hired at Pfizer?

Mr. Marshal: Maybe four or five years ago there were more foreigners here. Nowadays, it is easier for Russians to find a job. Pfizer used to have an expat marketing manager. Then we decided that we had local people with those skills.

At Pfizer, most of our Russian managers have had experience working in Western companies. They have an understanding of what Western business is about, about how business works. This is not a problem for young people who never worked in the communist system.

The Leader: How do you encourage a hard-working person?

Mr. Marshal: Setting clear objectives is crucial to encouraging and motivating them. As part of Pfizer, we have objectives, and it is important that other people here know what they are. Employees have personal objectives and are rewarded for achieving them. I think the important thing is for people to have a clear understanding of both their role and the role of the organization.
The Leader: How do you deal with a bad employee?

Mr. Marshal: When an employee loses interest in what they're doing, it is their boss’s responsibility to identify this and to discuss it with the employee. In a small company it is obvious when somebody is not pulling their own weight. Usually, these people leave on their own. But this doesn't happen often because we are careful about how we select people. We have a relatively small team — 21 in the Moscow office. We can’t afford to make mistakes by having people who are not enthusiastic, who are not willing to learn.

The Leader: What advice would you give to a person over 40 who is looking for a job?

Mr. Marshal: Certainly, there are places in all industries for people over 40, particularly when they have experience. Finance, for example, is an important area. Pfizer in Russia hired a medical director who was over 50 because the person needed to be a figurehead in the medical community, and had to be well connected with opinion leaders in different areas. If the person is open-minded, thinks progressively, has ideas and a long-term, positive vision of the future, then age is not so important.

The Leader: What would you advise a job-hunter?

Mr. Marshal: They should think very carefully about the kind of work they’d like to do. It is also very important to present yourself as professionally as possible. Spend time developing a CV that makes a positive impact. Then get as much advice as possible from colleagues and recruitment companies.