Zoltán Borbás:
Finding Purpose at Sanofi

A finance professional's path to making a difference

Hungarian Senior Financial Analyst Zoltán Borbás shares how the Budapest Hub offers a springboard for career growth while working for a company with real-world impact.

When Zoltán Borbás steps into Sanofi's Budapest Hub each morning, he's not just crunching numbers – he's helping improve patients' lives. His eyes light up when he talks about the difference between his previous jobs and his current role as Senior Financial Analyst, which he took up in October 2024.

"With many of my previous employers, one thing was missing: the spark that makes me proud to work for a company," he says. "That's why I joined Sanofi – not just to talk about improving people's lives, but actually doing something to achieve that."

The Budapest Hub, is a vibrant center of international collaboration. "We have more than 54 nationalities here," he explains. "I've worked in international environments before, but many times, it was mostly Hungarians with a couple of foreigners. Here, the diversity creates a totally different atmosphere; there's a great vibe."

This diversity creates a fertile environment for innovation and knowledge exchange, offering exposure to global networks and career mobility opportunities that were once rare in traditional corporate structures.

More than number-crunching – finance with real-world purpose

Zoltán’s responsible for financial forecasting and gross margin analysis, he might appear removed from patient care, but he quickly dispels this notion. "Being in finance is never as directly connected to patients as being a researcher," he acknowledges. "But we are the backbone of the organization. We provide the data that enables higher management to make necessary decisions about distribution, which prevents shortages and ensures patients receive exactly the medicine they need."

It's this connection to real-world impact that fuels his enthusiasm. As someone with more than a decade of experience in finance across various industries, he's found the purpose-driven environment at Sanofi particularly rewarding.

A place to build a career going places

For Zoltán, joining Sanofi was also about career development. "My long-term goal is to become a people leader," he explains. "Joining Sanofi was really about getting into the system, learning the ropes from the bottom up, and then being able to lead a team with the required knowledge."

Sanofi's approach to career development resonates strongly with his ambitions. "To have the necessary connections, you need to evolve not just vertically but horizontally as well," he says. "I'm planning to try out different 'Gigs' – short-term opportunities to work on projects in completely different teams. I want to build skills and expand my knowledge about the whole organization, not just one small silo."

Career mobility extends geographically as well. Many Sanofians have lived and worked outside their home countries to take on new challenges. While Zoltán hasn’t worked outside Hungary, he's open to international opportunities in the future – and certainly after his upcoming wedding.

A culture that cares: more than just talk

In the competitive market for professionals, company culture becomes a decisive factor. For Zoltán, Sanofi's supportive environment made an immediate impression.

"What attracted me, beyond professional development and trying a different industry, was seeing how Sanofi not only speaks about well-being for patients but also for employees," he says. "That feeling of being taken care of – not just putting in but getting something in return – is an excellent feeling."

This culture manifests in practical ways, such as Sanofi's family-friendly policies. "What the effort Sanofi is making, for example, to support families – if you have a baby, you get 12 weeks off – these are things that make them family-friendly."

Embracing technology and innovation

Though not a digital specialist by training, Zoltán describes himself as a "tech-savvy, somewhat geek guy" who appreciates Sanofi's commitment to innovation. "What's really exciting about Sanofi is that they're thinking about the opportunities that exist. They're trying to be pioneers, not just maintaining the status quo."

He's enthusiastic about applying technology in his daily work. "I'm trying to use all the tools that are available. To work for a company that really supports that and is trying to do it themselves sends a very good message to me."

For professionals considering their career paths, Zoltán's experience demonstrates how financial roles at Sanofi offer meaningful impact alongside professional growth. His work directly supports the company's mission to improve patients' lives through reliable data that informs critical business decisions.

"Our jobs are something that patients can feel," he emphasizes. Indeed, without people in finance like Zoltán, Sanofi couldn’t function. "If we didn't provide this data to management about how to distribute resources, that could lead to shortages in the supply and not being able to provide exactly the type of medicine a certain patient would need."

For Zoltán, this connection between his finance expertise and helping people makes working at Sanofi special and keeps talented professionals like him engaged and motivated to make a difference every day.