It’s always been about who you network with and who you know with promotions, but Novartis is big on performance and if you can’t show results (especially during launch of a product) in sales —top 25% or better you won’t get the promotion. You will be appointed to regional field committees, aft, culture, etc. but abl, am, or tll roles won’t happen until you show you can produce regardless who likes/knows you.
