WVPU Alumnus Named CEO of Global Health Care Company Novo Nordisk

By Amanda Cooke

Webster Vienna Private University (WVPU) alumnus Maziar Mike Doustdar was recently named President and Chief Executive Officer of Novo Nordisk, a leading global health care company. 

Founded in Denmark in 1923, Novo Nordisk works to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to medicines and working to prevent and ultimately, cure disease. As president and CEO, Doustdar oversees more than 77,000 employees in 80 offices around the world. 

Webster Vienna caught up with Doustdar via an email interview to see how life is since he graduated in 1994 with a degree in International Business. 

WVPU: You began your journey with Novo Nordisk in 1992 as an office clerk in Vienna. Could you tell us more about that career path and how it led you to your current role as CEO? 

MD: Let me say at the outset, I did not start out with a plan or with an ambition to be CEO. In Vienna, I was an office clerk as my summer job, and I must have done something right because when I graduated, I was invited back full-time. From that moment on, I made sure I said yes whenever I was offered an opportunity to grow, whether that meant taking on new responsibilities or moving to new geographies. Over the years, I moved to Athens, Zurich, Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur, taking in jobs in IT, finance, general management and eventually, more senior leadership back in Zurich, where I was responsible for our international operations across the globe.

WVPU: What is one of your standout memories from your time studying International Business at Webster Vienna?

MD: Webster always found a flexible solution to my small challenges, something that actually opened up doors more than I even realized at the time. One example is how the evening courses allowed me to work in the day while still furthering my studies. But the standout memory is the life-changing advice of my fantastic graduate advisor, Maher Mishriki. I came to him after a day in the library, and he noticed my visibly lowered energy. I told him that I just couldn’t learn like some of the other students in the quiet scholastic environment; that I got distracted and had too much energy. He thought for a minute and then said, “There’s an opportunity for you to learn on the job that might suit you a bit better. It’s a little company called Novo Nordisk — do you want me to call them?” The rest, as they say, is history.

WVPU: As someone who is Iranian-born, an Austrian national, and who grew up in the United States, how did the international environment at Webster Vienna and life in Vienna help prepare you for working in Novo Nordisk’s regional offices in Athens, Zurich and Turkey and beyond?

MD: These days, everyone calls themselves a global citizen but I really saw that come to life at Webster Vienna. My student friends (many of whom are friends to this day) came from all backgrounds, cultures, creeds and personalities, and we created our own understanding of the world based on our differences and our similarities. That was a foundation for my approach to business: Great ideas come from diversity of thought and the ability to embrace different ways of thinking. Webster Vienna always had that approach as its philosophy, and it’s one I put into action all these years later.