Press Room

Press Release / Jan 20, 2026

Hovione’s people-first approach recognized as it achieves Top Employer certification for the fourth consecutive year

Hovione has achieved Top Employer certification across all four of its manufacturing sites worldwide for the fourth consecutive year.

Hovione is Top Employer 2026 4th consecutive year | Hovione
  • Top Employer certification applies across all of Hovione’s manufacturing sites in Portugal, the US, Ireland and China
  • Certification highlights significant progress made by Hovione in these key areas: Employer Branding, Digital HR, DEI, Leadership, Learning, Sustainability, Well-being, and Work Environment
     

Lisbon, Portugal, January 15, 2026 - Hovione, an international integrated pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organization, has achieved Top Employer certification across all four of its manufacturing sites worldwide for the fourth consecutive year. 

A globally recognized certification, the Top Employers Institute acknowledges excellence in people practices. With over 2,500 employees globally in New Jersey (US), Cork (Ireland), Lisbon (Portugal), and Macau (China), this certification is a testament to Hovione’s commitment to continually creating a working environment for its team that prioritizes employee well-being, nurtures talent, and values and rewards merit and dedication. 

Talent acquisition and retention remain challenging in the pharmaceutical industry, but Hovione has successfully bucked this trend with an historic lower-than-industry-average voluntary staff turnover rate. The firm continuously strives to refine its working practices to foster employee motivation and satisfaction. It has also developed a culture where individual contributions are valued and rewarded, aligning with the company’s overall success.  

“Our people-first approach has once again been recognized”, said Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Chief Executive Officer, Hovione. “This is a reflection of the commitment and dedication that has gone into creating a working environment across all of our sites where our team members are empowered to perform at their best every day.”

“At Hovione, our people agenda is not solely an HR topic - it is a core pillar of our strategy to be a differentiated and enabling partner to the pharmaceutical industry. We invest continuously to create the best possible environment for our teams to do great work. And when this is combined with the deeper purpose behind what we do, helping to develop and manufacture life-enhancing medicines, it creates a powerful engine for innovation, differentiation, and growth, where all stakeholders are rewarded.”

A key area recognized by The Top Employer’s Institute this time was Hovione’s best practice approach to sustainability, with the firm demonstrating that it has successfully cultivated a culture of responsibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement in this area. The company´s efforts to prioritize equity and inclusion were also acknowledged, helping strengthen its differentiated Employee Value Proposition, and enriching the journey for both current and future talent. 
Ilda Ventura, Senior Vice-President of Human Resources and Member of the Management Board, Hovione, said: “Benchmarking our people practices as part of the Top Employers certification process tells us that we’re on the right track.”

“Receiving the Top Employers certification for the fourth consecutive year reflects our continued commitment and efforts to putting people at the center of our business. By designing inclusive and consistent HR practices across all locations, we continue to bolster our Employee Value Proposition and create a workplace where talent can grow, engage, and succeed.”

 

Also in the Press Room

See All

With more than six decades of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, Hovione is an international CDMO offering a comprehensive range of services for New Molecular Entities (NMEs), including drug substances, intermediates, and drug products. The company also supplies niche generic APIs and delivers advanced technologies supporting multiple drug delivery platforms, including oral, injectable, inhalation, and topical formulations.  Today, Hovione employs 2,500 people worldwide and operates 900 m3 of manufacturing capacity across four sites in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Japan has played an important role in the company’s global strategy since its early years. Initial export activities were followed in 2017 by the establishment of a Japanese subsidiary in Osaka.   Read the full article in Japanese at Yakuji.co.jp Read the article translated in English  

Press Clipping
Yakuji Nippo Magazine, 13 March 2026

International CDMO strengthens its presence in Japan: from active pharmaceutical ingredients to formulations, all at the same location

Mar 13, 2026

In an interview with Executiva, a portuguese media outlet focused on women´s leadership, Diane Villax, co-founder and long-standing leader of Hovione, reflects on her journey and the company’s development over more than six decades. Diane Villax’s career began at a time when few women worked outside the home. At 19, she joined a trading company as a foreign languages correspondent, where she developed essential business skills — including commercial correspondence, banking and export procedures — that later proved instrumental in helping her husband, Ivan Villax, establish Hovione in 1959. From its earliest days operating in the family home in Lisbon, Hovione adopted an international outlook. The company’s first major customers were in Japan, setting demanding quality standards that helped shape its long-term position in global markets. Over the following decades, Hovione expanded its footprint with the construction of its first manufacturing site in Loures (1969), followed by expansion to Macau (1986), the United States (New Jersey, early 2000s) and Ireland (Cork). The company grew into a global organization with more than 2,500 employees — including over 300 scientists — and a reputation as a preferred supplier to leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Throughout the interview, Diane highlights the values that have guided the company’s development: a commitment to excellence, a strong work ethic, and a focus on quality and long-term relationships. Although she did not have formal business training, she learned “on the job” and brought discipline, precision and structure to her role — particularly in the company’s early financial and administrative leadership. Now in her nineties and an active member of Hovione’s Board of Directors, Diane Villax remains engaged with the company’s evolution and governance, reflecting a continued commitment to its long-term development. Her story reflects entrepreneurial drive, resilience and long-term leadership — and offers insight into the values that have shaped Hovione’s trajectory for more than six decades. Read the full interview at Executiva.pt (in portuguese).    

Article
Executiva, 23 February 2026

Hovione’s Diane Villax: “I was not brought up to be a business woman”

Feb 23, 2026

Márcio Temtem, vice president, Strategic Business Management, Hovione, addresses molecule complexity, speed, and regionalization via integrated manufacturing. The landscape of small molecule manufacturing is rapidly evolving, according to Márcio Temtem, vice president, Strategic Business Development, Hovione, who provides an expert look into how his firm is evolving their approach as the industry changes. With 17 years of experience at Hovione, a family-owned CDMO with a 66-year legacy, Temtem identifies three pivotal trends currently shaping the industry: increased complexity, accelerated development speed, and the regionalization of supply chains. Temtem observes that small molecules have grown significantly in size and complexity, often requiring multiple chemical steps and high-potency handling. This shift necessitates a specialized "toolbox" to overcome modern bioavailability challenges. Highlighting Hovione's technical approach to these hurdles, Temtem states, "We use a platform called amorphous solid dispersions, produced by spray drying to address this challenge of bioavailability.” This platform represents a core area in which Hovione maintains global leadership, utilizing innovative tools to scale processes efficiently while minimizing the use of APIs. Temtem also mentions the increased influence of AI in drug discovery and deployment, which requires CDMOs to bridge the gap from grams to tons at a much faster pace than in previous years. He further addresses the trend of regionalization, noting the rise of countries such as the US and China prioritizing regional supply chain strategies. He explains that Hovione is uniquely positioned to navigate these new challenges with supply chains through its FDA-inspected sites across three continents. Central to Hovione’s competitive advantage is their integrated manufacturing offer, which combines drug substance and drug product expertise at a single location. Temtem emphasizes the value of this model, stating, “The company… has been investing in an integrated offer, bridging the problems of chemists and formulators all at the same shop.” To support this integration, the company continues to pioneer advanced manufacturing avenues, including continuous flow for drug substances and continuous tableting for drug products. Watch the full video interview or read the transcript at PharmTech.com  

Article
PharmTech, 6 February 2026

Hovione’s Strategy for Complexity, Speed, and Regional Supply Chains

Feb 06, 2026

Also in Events

See All