Sonova focusing on local leadership and infrastructure

A good balance between global and local culture is vital for multinational companies like Sonova to achieve sustainable development, especially at a time identified by ever faster changes.

Katya Kruglova, the company’s global vice president who is in charge of human resources and communications, said the global leader in hearing-care solutions is focusing on the right leadership and infrastructure set up locally to ensure sustainability.

“If you look at our customers, they are all local instead of global,” Kruglova said on the sidelines of Sonova’s Chinese employees meeting in Shanghai. “So we try hard to translate our global vision for our employees and customers in China to get it make sense for China.”

Having a presence in more than 100 countries across the world with over 17,600 employees, Sonova upholds the value of “we care, we take accountability, we drive innovation, we strive for excellence, and we build the best team” to have a dialogue with local consumers.

“To deliver these values, our employees should be engaged with the leadership for the creation of a shared value,” said Kruglova. “And the leadership of different levels need to be curious and open-minded, and we respect the decisions made by our local team.”

In late March, Sonova supported a charitable concert in Shanghai. The “Hear the Love, Embrace the Future” concert presented the talent of international school students while bridging communication with hearing-impaired people.

The concert drew a very warm social response as it managed to transfer the value that “At Sonova, we envision a world where everyone enjoys the delight of hearing and therefore lives a life without limitations” in a very local way.

Fang Fang, vice president and general manager of Sonova China, said at the concert that people with hearing loss can also take singing as a way to enrich and reconstruct their lives.

In January, Sonova teamed up with the Audiology Development Foundation of China to create a journey of art for children with hearing impairment by donating wireless hearing enhancement equipment to venues such as Liu Haisu Art Museum.

Sonova also stresses “protecting the planet, advancing people and acting with integrity.”

“We call it intACT, which is our ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategy that also underlines the urgent need to act,” Kruglova said.

Recognized for its efforts, Sonova was given the Excellence Award for Corporate Social Responsibility by the MNC Club under Shanghai Daily on April 12.