Kiki Varga's creative journey from tattoo artistry to Roche's social media team

When Kiki Varga landed at Roche earlier this year, it was the culmination of a unique career path that brought her from tattoo artist to HR specialist to the social media team at one of the largest healthcare companies in the world. A multicultural traveller at heart, Kiki now enjoys a role where her creativity can flourish in support of Roche’s mission to help people live longer, better lives. 

We chatted with Kiki about her path to Roche, dog-training and why she’s decided to get a driver’s license. 

Tell us about yourself.  

I am a digital support specialist on the social media team at Roche, and I am located in Budapest. I have been living in the city for over a decade now, and I just can't get enough of the culture and architecture. This is the first time I have spent so much time in one place, as during my childhood we moved around quite a bit — sometimes even continents — which helped me learn a lot about other countries and cultures. 

I have dabbled in many hobbies, but the two I’ve stuck with the most are art and dog training. My dog is a big part of my life, and we have been growing and learning together ever since I got him from the pound just before they were going to euthanize him. There is a long road behind us, full of adventures and life lessons, and I hope to have an even longer road ahead with him by my side.   

Tell us about your path to your current role as digital support specialist on Roche’s social media team.  

Sometimes career paths are not a ladder or even a straight line, where we can clearly see the goal from the starting line. I worked in many fields before I landed in my current position in social media — from being a tattoo artist to working in HR during the pandemic. But it certainly feels like I have been subconsciously working towards this role. I consider myself someone who needs creative work to be happy, and in my previous role, the job was very monotonous. That is when I found this opportunity at Roche and began a much-needed career change.  

What do you love most about working at Roche? 

It has been very fulfilling to work in a position where I can collaborate with like-minded and super-creative people on projects that are ever-changing, where there is never dull moment. The environment is super friendly, and we are all very driven to make sure we do the best we can, keeping each other motivated and supporting each other. Another reason I love working with Roche is that I like being part of a company that drives change through its efforts in research and development.  

At Roche, I have also been fortunate enough to take part in the Sprinklr Advocacy Project. This initiative involved the implementation and introduction of a new platform, enabling all employees to actively contribute to the amplification of our brand through social media channels. Currently, we have over 1,300+ users on the platform and counting. It is an amazing tool that provides our team members with a diverse array of interesting content to share on their own social accounts.  

How do you and your team use the Sprinklr platform? 

We are an exceptionally diverse team, and we use a multitude of platform features in our daily operations, spanning community management, Advocacy and the editorial calendar. A big part of my role is to provide comprehensive support for our platform's users. When I was first onboarded more than six months ago, my first impression was that this tool is massive but super useful — especially when it comes to extracting valuable insights. Over this period of time, I have learned a ton, but I’m acutely aware that there is still a vast landscape of untapped potential within the platform  

What’s next on your personal bucket list?  

In my country, public transport is super well-developed, and I have never had a burning need for a driver’s license; however, I have recently started to recognize that it would be useful to have one when it comes to traveling. So, recently, I began the process of getting one. I also really want to go hike El Camino de Santiago sometime in the next few years — preferably with my dog.