The challenge

Turning a corporate value into a human-centered strategy

With over 12,000 employees across 40+ countries, STADA — a global pharmaceutical player from Germany — had long embraced its mission of “caring for people’s health as a trusted partner.”

Despite existing physical health programs, STADA’s approach to mental health had remained largely reactive. The traditional hotline-based support lacked accessibility, relevance across cultures and languages, and most importantly — proactive impact.

When CEO Peter Goldschmidt and CHRO Simone Berger brought the topic to the forefront, they made it a top management priority. Their goal was ambitious but clear: move beyond fruit baskets and meditation apps to deliver a scalable, inclusive, and lasting initiative that could address real needs on the ground — from Germany to Vietnam.

The solution

From top-level sponsorship to localized impact

STADA partnered with Kyan Health to transform mental health from a siloed benefit into a business-critical, cultural pillar.

The company built on their successful "Caring For You" initiative supporting primarily the physical health of their global workforce, while mental health & wellbeing remained largely a local topic in different country units.

What made the program stand out was its authenticity and top-down commitment. The kickoff began at a senior leadership offsite in Istanbul, where 130 executives dedicated time to understand the role of mental health in leadership. From there, STADA and Kyan launched an awareness campaign supported by webinars, internal storytelling, and global ambassador networks.

Key to its success was localization. Kyan’s platform — available in 30+ languages — enabled STADA to tailor content and support to the cultural context of each region. In Vietnam, for example, local colleagues helped normalize conversations around topics like postnatal depression through personal stories and consistent community engagement.

The program was never static. By collecting anonymized usage and wellbeing data, STADA could continuously adapt its communication, campaigns, and trainings based on the evolving needs of employees across markets — whether in Serbia, Brazil, or the UK.

To move from cultural commitment to concrete change, STADA needed scalable, on-demand care. Through Kyan, employees gained 24/7 access to human and digital support — while HR teams gained meaningful data to steer wellbeing strategy.

The outcome

A mental health initiative that works and delivers globally

Today, STADA’s mental health initiative is live in over 36 countries and continues to grow. With almost 2.000 active users and over 5,000 hours spent in self-care and counselling sessions in the past year alone, employee engagement has exceeded expectations — supported by a satisfaction rate of over 90%.

By shifting the conversation from crisis response to holistic care, STADA has positioned mental health as part of everyday performance and growth. The company has seen an increase in voluntary leadership engagement, local ownership through its ambassador network, and cross-functional integration of wellbeing into team rituals, town halls, and internal campaigns.

Whether it’s a field sales colleague finding time for self-care on the road, or a manager in Asia accessing coaching to thrive through new responsibilities, the program reaches employees where they are — both literally and emotionally.

The partnership with Kyan Health has proven that mental health can be more than a checkbox — it can be a strategic lever for resilience, growth, and sustainable performance.

"Our goal wasn’t to launch a one-off initiative. It was to embed mental wellbeing into our global culture — not just for those in crisis, but for everyone."