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Fit and active with vitamins
He is a classic example of today’s man with a busy career and a busy life outside of work. As International Medical Manager, Dr. Michael Ruf doesn’t see much of his office in Basel ; he’s far more likely to be traveling the world, explaining to customers in a vast number of different markets how his company’s products work. Stress and a hectic lifestyle make major demands on his metabolism, and a heavy workload doesn’t always leave much room for a balanced, healthy diet and enough exercise to compensate. “It’s a good thing that the vitamin business is what keeps me on the road,” he says with a laugh. Ruf has been involved with multivitamins for years, previously for Roche, now for Bayer Consumer Care.
It’s a demanding job, but one that he enjoys greatly. “I see my role as mediating between research, marketing and consumers. Everyone has something to say about vitamins, but that doesn’t mean they all understand each other.” The most interesting part of his job is translating the language of the experts into something the customer will understand.
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It’s by no means an easy task, because no two countries view vitamins in the same way. There are countries in which vitamins are sold as nutritional supplements, and consumers in these markets generally know exactly what they want and why. The Americans and Germans are right at the top of the list when it comes to awareness about vitamins. In other countries – Turkey , for example – vitamins are still prescribed by doctors. Ruf says: “In these countries our activities to educate people about the value of our products are still aimed almost exclusively at doctors.”
BHC’s Consumer Care Division, headquartered in Basel, does more than market the leading product, Supradyn. The company’s experts also make sure that consumers can enjoy the benefits of the multivitamin products Berocca and One-A-Day. Moreover, International Medical Manager Ruf believes that there is growing potential for the Vital 50+ brand: “This is a multivitamin product with ginseng; it is designed specifically for people over 50 who are looking to remain physically and mentally active in the future.”
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