Global Pharma Korea Head's Strong Statement: "Companies and Government Must Collaborate to Solve Low Birthrate Issue" [K Population Strategy]

(20) Interview with CEO of Korea Perring Pharmaceutical
26 Weeks Maternity Leave 100% Paid Guaranteed
"Cannot Solve Alone"

Editor's NoteThe key to solving South Korea's population problem lies within companies. A workplace culture that evaluates employees based on their work regardless of gender and a family-friendly environment are crucial to addressing the K-population issue. Although low birth rates are influenced by multiple complex factors, it is important to ensure that workplace burdens do not become obstacles that make people hesitate to have children. Asia Economy is visiting companies leading family-friendly policies to identify the factors that have enabled these systems to be firmly established, and will explore various approaches with companies that face practical challenges. Through this, we aim to encourage change starting from companies and analyze the government's role in making this possible. We listen to voices emphasizing that company culture and atmosphere that reduce psychological burdens are more important than financial support, and present alternatives from various perspectives.

"The low birth rate problem cannot be solved by individuals alone. Individuals, companies, and the government must collaboratively find organic solutions."

Janise Doutsas, CEO of Ferring Korea, recently stated in an interview with Asia Economy, "Since the low birth rate is a complex issue without easy answers, we should not rely solely on government policies to develop and implement solutions."

Global Pharma Korea Head's Strong Statement: "Companies and Government Must Collaborate to Solve Low Birthrate Issue" [K Population Strategy]

Zenith Doussas, CEO of Korea Ferring Pharmaceuticals, is being interviewed by Asia Economy. CEO Doussas is explaining the Eureka survey conducted by Ferring Pharmaceuticals to understand the issues faced by infertile families in Asian countries. She stated that Asian women have low awareness of infertility, and it takes 7.5 years from treatment to pregnancy. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

Ferring Korea, the Korean branch of the Ferring Group, was established in 1992. The multinational pharmaceutical company Ferring Pharmaceuticals was co-founded in 1950 in Denmark by the couple Frederik and Eva Paulsen. It sells treatments that assist with pregnancy and childbirth. With over 7,000 employees in more than 50 countries worldwide, the company is currently headquartered in Switzerland. CEO Doutsas oversees the Northeast Asia region, including Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Ferring Korea employs 63 people. The proportion of female executives is 57.1%, while males make up 42.8%.

CEO Doutsas emphasized, "The company's mission is 'Building families & Helping people live better lives,' and naturally, employees are included in this mission." She explained, "No matter how good the policies are, they are meaningless if employees cannot use them. The role of leadership is to make employees aware of and educate them so that they can comfortably utilize programs when forming families and receive psychological support."

To ensure employees face no difficulties in forming families, Ferring Korea introduced the BFF (Building Families at Ferring) program in 2022. This program supports employees who have worked for more than one year through all stages from pregnancy to childbirth and childcare. It includes support for infertility treatments and adoption, as well as counseling. Notably, the program allows both men and women to take up to 26 weeks of paid maternity and parental leave. Full salary is guaranteed during this period, and the program is available to both office and sales staff. Since its introduction, two male employees have utilized the BFF program.

Zenith Doussas, CEO of Korea Perring Pharmaceuticals, moved to the Korean branch in 2021. CEO Doussas oversees the Northeast Asia region, including Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. She expressed pride in receiving certification as a family-friendly company from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family last year.

Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

Last year, Ferring Korea received its first certification as a family-friendly company from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. CEO Doutsas said, "As a company providing reproductive medicine, we must first support our employees to help people build families." She added, "We must take a leading role to provide benefits to both patients and employees." She further stated, "Even if good policies are created, they are meaningless if employees cannot use them, so supporting employees to feel comfortable is the most important thing."

CEO Doutsas noted, "I remember that small everyday actions are important." She shared, "In the past, I advised female employees returning from maternity leave to start work on Wednesday or Thursday instead of Monday to help them adjust to new caregiving routines over a few days." Although she has no personal experience with childbirth, she said, "I am very actively involved in supporting employees who have given birth to feel comfortable."

She also believes that policies alone are not enough to overcome low birth rates. She pointed out, "Although South Korea has relatively good health insurance coverage for infertility treatments, that alone cannot sufficiently encourage couples to have children." She added, "There are still societal issues that need to be addressed." She emphasized, "Not only accessibility to treatment but also community support is very important to initiate change. Through this, more people can be encouraged to have children."