People Development

We established “People Development and Workplace Environment Guideline” and in the guideline, we clarified the talent we most seek.

To realize a world where people everywhere enjoy fulfilling lives through “seeing,” we must become a trusted leader in ophthalmology, recognized by patients and the ophthalmic community worldwide. To achieve this, we seek individuals who:

• Deeply understand our business model and needs
• Continuously develop and apply their expertise
• Commit to results and create meaningful impact

The Core Principle of “Tenki ni sanyo suru” serves as the foundation for organizational and people development. To realize our medium- to long-term vision, we revised Our Guiding Principle and Values in 2025 and are working to embed them into the daily actions of each employee.

In Santen, all employees discuss with their manager at the beginning of the year to set goals after coordinating organizational and individual goals. Employees are evaluated based on their achievement of those goals at the end of the target period. To help employees achieve their goals, we provide opportunities for them to meet with their supervisors several times during the fiscal year review to discuss progress toward goals, as well as medium- to long-term career prospects. Conversations include past professional experiences, future career goals, and the opportunities and skills development necessary to achieve them. Employees may receive guidance and evaluations from supervisors in their matrix organization, as well as from immediate supervisors. Ultimately, evaluations reflect not only individual performance, but also organizational performance. We support each employee in improving and making the most of his or her abilities, which we hope will lead to a sense of accomplishment and growth at work.

We offer a variety of training programs in each region.

〈Japan〉
We conduct training for new employees and different hierarchical levels, with a focus on educating Medical Representatives (MRs). Additionally, to produce the next generation of business leaders who can envision their own future and drive new transformations amidst various environmental changes, we hold programs such as the Next Generation Leader Program. We strive to develop leaders with a strong centripetal force who can maximize both people development and organizational performance.

We offer a self-development support system in which the company pays a portion of the costs of language and business skills training. We also cover a portion of test fees taken by employees as part of their self-development. To foster a sense of career autonomy in each employee, we provide expanded opportunities for dialogue between supervisors and subordinates in the workplace, meetings with outside career consultants.

〈China〉
We provided diversified learning programs to support organizational development and cultivate learning culture. We developed programs focused on high-performing team, trust and collaboration, leadership development. Customized workshops were designed and delivered to business teams with related knowledge sharing on SNS. Practical management and leadership toolkits are also shared and utilized to improve the overall capabilities of our employees and people leaders.

〈Asia 〉
We developed a People Leaders Program which offers two tracks: championing employer experience for new managers and leading high performing teams for experienced leaders. The program focuses on practical applications of management and leadership theories through peer learning sessions and group sharing. In addition, we expanded the Learning Festival held in the EMEA last year, to Asia.

〈EMEA〉
We have held a Learning Festival since FY2023, in which employees take on the role of instructors in their field of expertise. This initiative, in which employees participate on a voluntary basis, helps to foster a corporate culture where people teach and learn from each other, acquiring skills through knowledge sharing.

In addition to the above, in Asia and EMEA we deliver development for our senior leaders, which includes 360 degree assessment, personalized coaching and leadership skills development training.

We disclose aggregated training data including above trainings in Social Data.

In April 2020, we have started operation of a new internal job posting system, the Global Job Posting System. This system is open to all employees of the Santen Group, and is open to all recruiting positions within the Group. Through the recruitment position, employees will be able to know what kind of career and growth opportunities they have, and by encouraging themselves to take up a medium- to long-term career, it will promote employees' growth.

Since FY2017, Santen's Manufacturing Division has introduced the Meister System, an employee evaluation and treatment system uniquely employed in the Noto Plant and the Shiga Product Supply Center, Japan, with the aim of enhancing manufacturing operators' skills and motivation. Among the qualified candidates who have met the in-house criteria, the employees who have high levels of skills, achievements, experiences and trust from their subordinates, while performing "Individual Action Principles" that comprise Core Principle, are certified as Meisters.