"The purpose of inviting everybody to help identify a new strategic direction for the company was to send a signal that we are in the same boat. I wanted people to understand: nobody is coming to save us. We either float – or drown together."

The theme of the conference was Leading with Purpose and among the speakers were Bill Clinton, former US president, Cees't Hart, CEO at the Danish brewery Carlsberg, and Costas Markides, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, London Business School.

"History is full of examples of companies who had the eyes fixated on the speedometer or the oil pressure - but no clue about where they were going", Carsten Hellmann said.

"By looking at allergy as a consumer play and not just a therapy field – as we have been doing for 100 years – we have started to lift our heads and look up. Our goal has become to help as many people with allergy as possible." 

The big why
Also in Merial, the animal health company lead by Carsten Hellmann before he took office in ALK, processes were disrupted to get teams to think openly about what should be done to regain success as a company. The big question everyone was invited to give input to was: How can we as a company help solve some of the world’s most important problems?

"For example: How can we help the 1 billion people in Asia, moving to cities, eating meat and processed food? And: How can we help prevent a production loss of 20 percent in meat production due to animals getting sick?"

"It is not enough to say you want to increase your growth with 5 or 10 percent. People need to be part of something relevant and inspiring."

Not an experiment
After his speech, Carsten Hellmann was asked how he measures success when at the same time he boasts skipping KPIs, power points and long meetings?

"I look at sales figures, profits, net working capital etc. It is not an experiment. Of course, we need a company fit to survive. What I am talking about is how to develop a business that has a future. How we move on."

That sounds easier said than done?
"It is all about looking up from our excel sheets and start concentrating on people. Everybody wants to make a difference, everybody wants to be part of something bigger. So it is really about finding out: What is our common goal? Are we doing the right thing to get there? Are we moving fast enough? Or are we moving too fast?"

ALK has announced a partnership with China’s Rellergen Biotech Inc., which grants ALK exclusive promotional rights to market Rellergen’s Bio-IC microfluidic allergen diagnosis technology to more than 190 hospitals across China.

Bio-IC microfluidic allergen diagnosis technology is also referred to as a ‘laboratory on a chip’ because it offers fast, convenient and inexpensive diagnosis of specific allergen sensitivities using a blood sample in a disposable cartridge which allows screening against up to 20 different allergens at a time, including food allergies. The Bio-IC system also includes compact screening and analysis apparatus, allowing patients a swift diagnosis of their allergen sensitivities.

Jacob Glenting, Vice President, International Markets, says: “The Bio-IC technology represents an important advance in a market where allergy diagnosis is a DKK 300 million a year business. It also allows ALK to broaden its product offering for allergists, while signaling our ability to identify key products and technologies that advance our strategy of expanding into adjacent business areas.”

ALK has been present in China since 2007 and is the market’s second largest allergy immunotherapy (AIT) company. The market potential in China is considerable given the large number of house dust mite (HDM) allergy sufferers, but access to AIT is currently restricted due to a lack of allergy diagnosis and treatment infrastructure.

Andrew Hui, General Manager, China, says: "This partnership opens new and complementary opportunities for ALK beyond China’s DKK 400 million AIT market. Bio-IC technology offers a major improvement in the allergy diagnosis process for patients in China because existing diagnostic methods either lack accuracy, are prohibitively expensive, or are unsuitable for use in typical clinics, meaning that test samples have to be sent away for screening – a process that can take weeks and drawing revenue away from the allergy clinics themselves."

The technology was originally developed by Taiwan-based Agnitio Biotech Inc., and is being com-mercialised in China by its sister company Rellergen, which is in the process of setting up a local manufacturing facility. Bio-IC was approved as an in vitro device by authorities in China in 2015. Expanding the partnership into other markets is currently being discussed.