At Daiichi Sankyo Europe, we champion heart health through unity and movement. Cardiovascular health has an often-underestimated impact on our mindset. It’s not just about having a strong heart to pump blood – the heart of our circulatory system directly affects brain function, shaping out emotions, thoughts, memory and mental resilience. Click here to read more about the impact of physical activity on heart health.
The Heart Strava Initiative, a heart health challenge, was an exciting new initiative designed to inspire well-being, creativity, and connection among employees across Europe. This engaging movement symbolised our commitment to cardiovascular care through heart-shaped routes created by participants, bringing our mission to life one heartbeat at a time.
For the last three months, every step, pedal, and stride have become a depiction of our shared purpose: advancing cardiovascular health. By joining the Heart Strava Initiative, employees connected their personal journeys with a greater mission that impacts lives across Europe and in our founding country, Japan.
The Heart Health Challenge Participation, Winners, and Testimonials
In 3 months, from June 5th, 2025, until September 15th, 2025, 87 hearts had been drawn and 1042 kilometres travelled in 15 different countries. Mainly in Europe: Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, NL, Finland, Sweden, England, Ireland, Norway & France but more far away in Japan closer to our HQ. The initiative concluded with an internal award ceremony to celebrate World Heart Day on the 29th of September.
Participants stepped out, cycled forward, swam on and even paddled ahead with 29 people engaging in walking, 34 in running, 20 in cycling, 2 in swimming and 2 picking up the paddles and recording their kayaking journey. All in the name of heart health!
In total the participants spent 78 hours outside either alone or with family and friends – fostering team spirit and commitment. To encourage engagement and foster a competitive spirit, winners were celebrated in the following diverse categories:
- Affiliate that had the most Heart-Shaped Routes Created
- Biggest Heart Created While Running
- Biggest Heart Created While Walking
- Biggest Heart Created While Cycling
- Heart Created with the Largest DS Community/Collaboration
- Aesthetically the most perfect Heart
- Heart in the Most Unexpected Place
- Least expected shape
Every route told a story, and every story strengthened our commitment to heart health.
The Winners of the Heart Health Challenge are:
1st Award: Affiliate that had the most Heart-Shaped Routes Created
Belgium won this award by creating 15 hearts, resulting in 235 kilometres travelled by running, walking and cycling. Many commented that this initiative inspired and motivated them – and gave them a good reason to laugh.
2nd Award: Biggest Heart While Running
A tiny contribution was out of the question with one colleague who pledged for a 30-kilometre run. However, the routes didn’t always go to plan with live obstacles getting in the way. But in the end, once you take the commitment to heart, the perfect heart can be formed!
3rd Award: Biggest Heart While Walking
A tiny contribution was out of the question with one colleague who pledged for a 30-kilometre run. However, the routes didn’t always go to plan with live obstacles getting in the way. But in the end, once you take the commitment to heart, the perfect heart can be formed!
4th Award: Biggest Heart While Cycling
“Sometimes it’s heart to motivate yourself” – A participant from Germany won the award for the Biggest Heart while Cycling with 150-kilometre. He stated that the Heart Strava Initiative motivated him to keep cycling after his big road bike race in May. After the initiative was announced he has gone on to cycle this 150-kilometre route over four times!
5th Award: Heart Created with the Largest DS Community/Collaboration
Portugal gathered the biggest employee group with 27 colleagues signing up and recording together their active journey. A distinctive way to improve internal engagement in heart health, Daiichi Sankyo Portugal put a special focus on raising awareness of Atrial Fibrillation and Dyslipidaemia – doing their part to reduce cardiovascular events worldwide. The Heart Strava Initiative inspired Portugal’s own movement of SHAPEtheHeart, a movement that has reinforced an individual and collective commitment to heart health. This initiative and challenge made them more aware of the impact that their portfolio actually has on the communities that they are present in.
6th Award: Aesthetically the Most Perfect Heart
Going above and beyond by not just creating the shape of the heart but also the beats that followed, one colleague took to the sand and walked 2.82-kilometres to shape the DS heart, perfectly symbolising that #WeCareForEveryHeartbeat.
7th Award: Heart in the Most Unexpected Place
Many people also got their families involved in the challenge, spreading our ambition for awareness even further. A family of four in Ireland won the award for a heart in the least expected place, taking a 1-kilometre swim off the coast.
8th Award: Least Expected Shape
One colleague got very creative looping heart after heart after heart – a very artistic and well-coordinated route that spanned across the greenery. If anyone had been watching, they most likely would have been mystified by the route and shapes that were being created.
Our Portfolio Ambition and Purpose for improved heart health
The Heart Strava Initiative aligns with Daiichi Sankyo Europe’s ambition to not only provide innovative cardiovascular care solutions but also to embody our mission through action. We always aim to encourage Daiichi Sankyo Europe employees to live the values of heart health in their everyday lives through physical activity and creativity – strengthening connections across European affiliates through a shared, meaningful initiative, and reinforcing Daiichi Sankyo’s position as a partner of choice in cardiovascular care by championing healthy habits and unity.
Together the Heart Strava Initiative is a tangible commitment to heart health
Let the Heart Strava Initiative be a reminder that within every heartbeat lies the power to connect, inspire, and create change. Together, we’ve made strides — both big and small — toward advancing cardiovascular health.
Let’s continue moving forward, one heartbeat at a time.
At Daiichi Sankyo our aim is to drive disease awareness and prevent misinformation through our support and collaboration with healthcare providers and patient organizations. Providing care goes beyond medicines, and we are committed to continuously focus on having a holistic approach to heart health. Modern technology continually changes the practice of medicine and our industry, and as such we are exploring innovative digital solutions that complement and expand CV care to help HCPs provide patients with the care they need.
