Whilst not directly related to MSB (we do have that Novartis...

Whilst not directly related to MSB (we do have that Novartis connection ), I came across this interesting interview with Novartis CEO Dr. Vas Narasimhan on CNBC television this week...

https://youtu.be/TkVnQnFSzfU

Particularly interesting from 2:14 mark. Probably could have found this online, but I typed out the transcript so you can read it too (I bolded particularly interesting points):

Interviewer: …well one thing that Novartis has been focused on a lot over the last year is ESG (Environmental Social Governance) focus. You know, pharma has not always really been included in that category and just sort of from a societal perspective, among the least liked and respected industries out there. Um, how do you see the pandemic and the work that your industry has done in it potentially changing that, along with the efforts that you’ve been putting into this space?

Novartis CEO Dr. Vas Narasimhan: You know, I think the pandemic has been a reset for the reputation of the industry. We started out really demonstrating that we could collaborate across the industry with the public sector, with academia, to move incredibly quickly on therapeutics and vaccines and you’ve seen the result with the remarkable work in mRNA vaccines that’s been accomplished today and I hope to see more vaccines coming in the first part of this year.
I think that’s reset the public’s perception and merely you know, reviewing the industry as part of the solution, asan innovation engine that can transform life on the planet, as it has, as an industry over the last century. And I think that points to the importance now to continue the momentum with respect to ESG related topics.
Many of your viewers will know, increasingly funds, increasingly investors, increasingly I think millennials as they move into the investment range, want to see companies that are behaving responsibly and I think for us as a company, for our own employees, as well as our role in society, we’ve made, as Novartis, ESGs central to our strategic pillars. It’s one of our top 5 pillars, something we take very seriously on a day in and day out basis and we hope to demonstrate progress on ESG topics, access to medicines, pricing of our medicines, thinking about ethics, global health, on an ongoing basis. (END)

As they say, the proof is in the pudding, but it's still nice to hear the CEO advocating such topics, which are quite often mentioned in this forum as potential blockers (amongst other things of course) for MSB.