The pharmaceutical industry is undergoing profound transformation. As healthcare reform policies continue to advance and market competition intensifies, both employee turnover and attrition rates are on the rise. Many pharmaceutical companies are attempting to consolidate their fragmented business operations through mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring, but the resulting management challenges often exceed expectations.
Novartis, a leading global Swiss pharmaceutical company, has also sought solutions amid this transformation.
“CDP是一位可靠的战略合作伙伴，我们由衷感谢CDP帮助我们成为一家在中国受人尊敬的企业。这对我们意义重大。”
— Carlo Perone, Head of Human Resources at Novartis
Global Operations, but Management Stuck at the "Last Mile"“最后一公里“
诺华总部位于瑞士巴塞尔，在全球制药行业中位列前茅。通过遍布140多个国家的数十家子公司直接运营，诺华拥有超过138000名员工，约有12亿患者受益于其产品。《财富》杂志曾连续三年将诺华评为”最受尊敬的制药公司”。
However, beneath the aura of large-scale, cross-regional operations, Novartis China faces a series of practical challenges.
Traditional payroll calculation methods make it difficult to ensure accuracy. Back-end systems are inadequate, and data from local branches is scattered across various locations, preventing a unified view. Obstacles in employee onboarding and handover processes significantly constrain the efficiency of HR operations.
For a pharmaceutical company renowned for innovation and rigor, these issues not only impact daily operations but also risk slowing the pace of overall business transformation.
Novartis needed not a patchwork solution, but a comprehensive transformation plan.
Faced with a decentralized business structure and growing management complexity, Novartis realized that piecemeal optimizations could not fundamentally resolve the issues. What it needed was a comprehensive human capital management solution covering compensation, data, processes, and services.
This was precisely the starting point for CDP to enter Novartis' radar.
CDP凭借其在亚太地区领先的人力资本管理服务品牌声誉、基于SaaS的创新商业模式，以及在华服务跨国公司的丰富经验，成为诺华的战略合作伙伴。核心考量包括：CDP拥有中国最多的SaaS成功案例，能够实现全球化标准与本地化需求的无缝衔接，同时提供灵活覆盖企业全生命周期的”一站式”服务。
A Phased, Steady Rollout: A Scalable Implementation Path
The project adopted a phased implementation strategy to ensure each step was solid and controllable.
Phase 1: Payroll Outsourcing First
CDP launched payroll outsourcing services, covering SAP master system integration, payroll calculation and reporting, employee self-service, HR self-service, tax filing, and an employee call center. The initial phase covered nine Novartis branches and 6,000 employees, and went live successfully.
Phase 2: Shared Service Center Implementation
Building on the foundation of Phase One, CDP launched the construction of the Shared Service Center, establishing an efficient process and system platform. Service coverage expanded to 10 branches and 8,000 employees, with the system successfully going live and operating stably.
Phase 3: Regional Expansion and Localization
Novartis' Hong Kong branch was incorporated into the Shared Service Center's scope of services. To address local Hong Kong policies, CDP provided comprehensive support, including strict payroll timing controls, data interfaces, payroll calculations, statutory and customized payroll reports, annual personal income tax filings, payroll services, and a Cantonese-language call center.
With this, approximately 9,000 employees across Novartis China were fully integrated into a unified human capital management platform.
More Than Just Efficiency Gains: A Cornerstone of Strategic Transformation
The value of the project is clearly evident across multiple dimensions.
Significant Optimization of Production Costs—The unified compensation system and shared service center have substantially reduced hidden costs associated with repetitive tasks and decentralized operations.
Transparent Management Becomes a Reality—With group-wide data sharing and standardized, rigorous processes, management can monitor key human capital dynamics in real time.
Deep integration of business and finance—The integration of HR data with business data provides a reliable basis for resource allocation and strategic decision-making.
Support for business transformation and strategic goals—This solution not only addresses current operational pain points but also lays the management foundation for Novartis' continued expansion and business restructuring in China and across the Asia-Pacific region.
A Proven Methodology That Extends Beyond Novartis
从薪资外包到共享服务中心，再到区域扩展，诺华与CDP的合作走出了一条完整的转型路径。这套”分阶段、可扩展”的实施方法论，既尊重了企业变革的节奏，也保证了每一个阶段都能产生可量化的价值。
For pharmaceutical companies facing similar challenges—such as multiple branches, diverse payroll rules, and high employee turnover—Novartis' experience offers a clear lesson: the transformation of human capital management does not require a complete overhaul. Instead, it can follow a clear path, progressing from accurate calculation to effective control, and from effective control to optimal utilization.
当越来越多的企业开始将人力资本管理从”后勤职能”提升为”战略引擎”，行业的竞争格局，或许也将因此改写。
