The flexible workspaces, floors that come with loads of natural light, digitally enabled smart design and best-in-class amenities, are great — and what people have come to expect from an SJP Properties office.
The rooftop terrace, believed to be the largest such space in the state, and the fact that the 260,000-square-foot building is LEED Gold Certified — are additional pluses for the modern employee.
And the bakery, the one that opens to both employees on one side and the public on the other, shows the desire of the company to connect with the community.
But when Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson really wants to describe the essence of the company’s new North American headquarters, an anchor at M Station in Morristown, he describes how the building is making more than 2,000 employees feel.
“This space encourages you to be the best version of yourself,” he said during a ribbon-cutting event Thursday night. “It’s amazing. By changing the building, we seem to have changed mindsets.”
Hudson said the move from Bridgewater, just 20 miles or so down Interstate 287, has made all the difference.
“It feels like home just after a few short days,” he said. “This is truly the best office we have anywhere in the world. It is also a place where I think miracles will be born for this great company and the patients that we serve.”
The words were just what Gov. Phil Murphy was eager to hear.
He was thrilled the state was continuing its decades-long partnership with the global pharmaceutical giant based in Paris.
“Ours is a partnership that is rooted in shared values,” he said. “Together, to borrow a phrase from your corporate ethos, we are chasing the miracles of science to improve people’s lives.
“You do that, and I think we do that as a state.”
Murphy noted Sanofi’s participation in the state’s artificial intelligence task force, which is helping the state explore how it can use AI ethically and responsibly while stimulating innovation and economic growth across New Jersey.
Sanofi’s desire for partnerships of all shapes and sizes was apparent throughout the event.
Hudson took pride in the fact that the street-level bakery serves all. And he said the company’s rooftop terrace also should be viewed as a community asset — a place where nonprofits and community groups can meet and hold events.
“The building has to have a sense of place that feels part of the community,” he said. “It can’t be a fortress of a corporation. It has to be porous in every way so that people feel this movement in and out. That’s the future of the workplace.”
Sanofi’s new workplace already is drawing employees — a key in a hybrid-based work world.
“It was never too hard to get a desk in Bridgewater,” Hudson joked. “Now there’s a fight. People are coming in while it’s still dark.”
Olivier Bogillot, the head of general medicines, North America, said he is among those eager to arrive. In fact, he said he has been waiting for an office upgrade since he arrived in the U.S. three years ago.
“From the day I landed in the U.S. and spent my first week in office in Bridgewater: One thing was very clear — that version of Sanofi was not our future,” he said. “We needed something different, a space that not only represents who we are, but who we are striving to be. A place that inspires innovation, fosters connection and empowers people to do their best work and lead their best lives.
“We were not just looking for new building. We were envisioning a space where people can show up every day with courage, creativity and heart — a space where every Sanofian can turn ideas into action and values into impact.”
