The work I do is changing lives
Nazli Sahafi, General Manager Portugal Diagnostics

The work I do is changing lives

Every morning when I wake up, I feel a great sense of purpose. Patients are waiting for a test result. Families of patients are hoping for a cure and I have an obligation to make sure access is given to anyone who needs it no matter age, gender, race or location.

My name is Nazli Sahafi and I'm the General Manager in Portugal & Head of Management Center Lusophone Africa. I live and work in Amadora, Portugal. There are patients who need us and we will do whatever we can to build a healthy community. This applies to Portugal and the African continent where the need is huge and where we need to invest and build sustainable healthcare systems together with the local governments. 

I’m proud to be leading a wonderful organization where each and one of us wakes up with the same sense of purpose.

I never thought I would stay in any company for this long. I thrive in challenges and variability and I imagined myself staying for no more than two years, as it turns out I have stayed twelve and the best part is that it still feels like two. What made me stay is the open environment, the autonomy and the empowerment I feel to do what is best for patients and communities. At Roche, careers are tailored to the person and the situation rather than a one suit fits all and throughout these years I've never felt stagnant or bored.

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This latest challenge has been extremely exciting and a great exploration journey for me and my family. Moving from Sweden to Portugal with my husband and our two small children has been very fulfilling and I feel grateful that my children can grow up learning and experiencing different cultures. My husband is pioneering what it means to take a medical practice digital. He is a doctor and he is serving his patients in Scandinavia virtually from Portugal.

Being responsible for Portugal and countries in Africa is probably the most dynamic and exciting job I have had so far. Seeing the impact we can make for patients in Africa providing HIV testing for infants or enabling safe blood to the hospitals is extremely rewarding. However, there is so much more we have to do and the most important part is to leave a sustainable infrastructure behind. We need to think long-term and build for the future.

We have a culture of empowerment and openness. We believe everyone goes to work everyday wanting to do their best and our job is to support our employees by bringing out their best. 

At Roche we are making every effort to be as diverse and inclusive as possible.

We discuss biases openly and we make every effort to recruit based on skills and competencies.

Follow Nazli on Instagram, where she inspires young women to go into business.

Wayne Alexander

Building ALL-IN companies and teams

1y

Wow - this is a powerful testimony. Purpose and meaning run through every sentence of the article. When a leader's heart beats for a purpose and is open to listening and collaborating, it creates an inspiring environment, and the impact is multiplied. I wish you all the best in your efforts.

曾信凱

普生醫院、診所 醫檢師、X-ray 攝影技術員

3y

Love this

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