Performing and Transforming

THE BRAINS BEHIND S MART DRUGS PHARMA INNOVATION PFIZER’S SPECIALTY BIZ T HE NEXT BIG THING? 60 YEARS OF R&D APRIL 2010 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF PHARMA VOLUME 30, NUMBER 4 HBA Woman of the Year DEIR DRE CONNELLY 2 PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE APRIL 2010 www.pharmexec.com 3 Performing and Transforming Deirdre Connelly, HBA’s 2010 Woman of the Year, brings her insight and experience from Eli Lilly to GSK, where she will have the daunting challenge of trying to turn around a sluggish US market. When you’ve been in pharma for 25-plus years, you’ve likely had to wear a lot of different hats. Deirdre Con- nelly, president of North America Pharmaceuticals for GlaxoSmithKline, has collected more hats than most of her peers; she could almost outfit an entire baseball team. Connelly, 49, is based in Philadelphia these days. But she started off as a humble rep at Eli Lilly in 1984, and from there doggedly rose through the ranks: general manager for Eli Lilly Puerto Rico in 1995; regional sales director in 1997; head of the women’s health business unit at Lilly’s US affiliate in 2000, where she oversaw the successful implementation of the global marketing campaign for osteoporosis treatment Evista; executive director of US human resources in 2004; and, finally, president of US operations in 2005. Photo by Bill Bernstein 4 PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE APRIL 2010 www.pharmexec.com diverse, and the more we reflect that in our organization, the more we can “I was amazed at how approachable offer them.” she was, both for senior- and junior- Outwardly reserved, though not shy, she already commands the loyalty level people. Our job [as an HBA and respect of her GSK cohorts, as evi- Woman of the Year] is to be an denced by the many WOTY nomina- tions she received from, among others, advocate for women’s leadership.” GSK CEO Andrew Witty and Cath- —Catherine Sohn, Senior Vice President of Worldwide erine Sohn, senior vice president of Business Development, Consumer Healthcare, Worldwide Business Development for GlaxoSmithKline GSK’s Consumer Healthcare division. Sohn, who was the HBA’s Woman Fortune named her one of its 50 Foley paints a picture of a woman of the Year in 2003, praises Connelly’s Most Powerful Women in business determined to impact as many bloom- openness: “I ran into her in the cafete- three years straight. She came in at ing Lillyites as possible, regardless of ria one day, and I was amazed at how no. 47 in 2007, no. 42 in 2008, and gender. “One of the common themes approachable she was, both for senior- as of this year she’s sitting pretty at we discovered when we were collect- and junior-level people,” she says. no. 37. And now Deirdre Connelly has ing information for Deirdre’s Woman “Our job [as an HBA Woman of the another feather for her cap, having of the Year nomination was her com- Year] is really to be a role model and been named the Healthcare Business- mitment to mentoring,” says Foley. an advocate for women’s leadership,” women’s Association’s 2010 Woman “She gave clear and direct feedback, she says. That includes speaking to of the Year. scheduled time to meet with mentees, various HBA chapters and participat- Connelly attributes all those pro- and just followed through in gen- ing in Q&A sessions around the coun- motions and accolades to two things: eral, which is a rare thing.” Connelly try. “They’re always humbling, those work (“A lot of work,” she empha- opened up to the acquisitive young Q&As,” notes Sohn. The weight of sizes) and the guidance of men and staffers, explaining how she learned leadership is never greater than when women, like former Lilly CEO Sidney from various missteps and personal you’re facing a crowd of 300 women. Taurel. “I had a couple of extraordi- setbacks and used those experiences In fact, Sohn met Connelly for the nary people that took me under their as career fuel. first time in November of 2008 at an wing and taught me a lot,” she says. She left Lilly in 2009, after almost HBA Leadership Conference in Chi- four years at the helm of its US opera- cago; she remembers Connelly as the W OTY: Role Models and Advocates tions (and 24 at the company) to tackle clear standout among the speakers Deirdre Connelly’s ascension to US the challenges that come along with at the conference, and says she made president of Lilly wasn’t a surprise, per being president of North American quite an impression on the audience. se—but it was also something Con- Pharmaceuticals at GSK. “I still have the brochure from the nelly says she had never really con- Connelly is the first female to hold lunch,” Sohn says. “I use some of her sidered: “If you had asked me at the that title, and one of only two women bullet points in my presentations.” beginning of my career if I was going to on GSK’s corporate executive team For symbolic reasons alone, Sohn end up as president, the answer would (the other is SVP for HR Claire Thom- encourages Connelly to strive for ex- have been ‘no.’” as), but she dismisses any question of cellence in her current position at Former co-workers at Lilly tell a discomfort with a wave of her hand. GSK, noting that she’ll be a beacon to different story, however. Company “It’s not run in a way where you feel other women hoping to smash through HR consultant Catherine Foley was like you’re either a man or a woman,” the c-suite glass ceiling. Meanwhile, one of Connelly’s many nominators she says. “The approach is very pro- Connelly says she’s committed to giv- for this year’s HBA award (she also fessional.” Connelly points out fellow ing a boost to as many female pharma put together the dossier for Connelly’s team members Moncef Slaoui (from young guns as possible. “There’s a nomination last year). Foley began Morocco) and Abbas Hussain (born new, plentiful generation of women working with Connelly when she was in India) as further examples of the in the groups that report to me,” she putting together a leadership program team’s diversity, but admits she’d like says. “So I expect to work to ensure for new MBA hires. Connelly signed to see an even more varied crew in that many of them sit on our executive up as a faculty advisor. the future. “Our customers are very team in the future.” A PRIL 2010 www.pharmexec.com 5 One year into the assignment, she’s already a company woman through “I thought [upon reading a profile of and through, preferring to talk up GSK’s strengths and values rather GSK CEO Andrew Witty], ‘This seems than herself. She speaks at great like the kind of guy you would like to length about the company “performing while transforming” in the US, as have coffee with.’ We stayed for two- well as GSK’s many Physician-Patient and-a-half hours. We talked about Assistance Programs (P-PAPs) and the volunteer work the company does. everything pharma. It was fantastic.” This emphasis on transparency cuts —Deirdre Connelly, 2010 HBA Woman of the Year right to the heart of GSK’s US strategy, which comes with its own acronym—TRIP (Transparency, Respect, F amily Matters The Transition to TRIP Integrity, Patient focus). And though It was Connelly’s father who inspired The road to GSK began some six the patient comes last in that acronym, her career path. Born to Irish-American months before CEO Witty extended the Connelly says the patient perspective Owen Connelly and Puerto Rican moth- offer. Connelly had been approached for is always foremost in the company’s er Dolores Montecinos in 1960—the the position by a recruiter, but was per- mind. So she champions Glaxo’s middle child of nine—she spent the fectly content captaining Lilly’s team. Bridges to Access program, which of- first 18 years of her life in San Juan. However, a Wall Street Journal profile of fers non-oncology medicines to low- When it came time to leave the nest, Witty (and his efforts to steer the Brit- income patients whose medications Deirdre decided to head to the main- ish juggernaut in a more global direc- aren’t covered by insurance; CARES, land, choosing Pennsylvania’s Lycom- tion) caught her attention. “I thought, a new program launched last month ing College after hearing about its ‘This seems like a guy you would like that offers oncology copay assistance; accounting program from her father. to have coffee with,’” she says. Soon and several other similar programs, Three accounting classes in, she enough, the two had a coffee date, orig- including a new offer to provide vac- switched her major to marketing and inally slated to last 45 minutes. cines free-of-charge to eligible patients economics. “We stayed for two-and-a-half in the US. It all goes back to the com- “I love economics,” says Connelly, hours,” Connelly says, laughing. “We pany’s raison d’être: “We bring medi- with a smile. “It’s just fascinating.” talked about everything pharma. It was cine to people who need it.” Connelly, who is bilingual, also fantastic.” Other company outreach efforts says the college’s small size was a More to the point, Witty impressed include “Orange Day,” during which boon. “My older siblings had grown her with his strategy of melding busi- teams of GSK employees around the up in more of an English-speaking en- ness and values, and putting the com- globe pick a day to tackle a communi- vironment,” she explains.

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