Freda Lewis-Hall, MD, chief medical officer of Pfizer has been named 2011 Woman of the Year (WOTY) by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA).

In her 30-year career, Dr. Lewis-Hall has held leadership roles in direct patient care, academics, media, government, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.

Among her most recent achievements, in September 2010, Dr. Lewis-Hall was appointed by the Government Accountability Office of the United States to the inaugural Board of Governors for the new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

Lewis-Hall’s background and record as well as her management and leadership approaches will be the subject of a feature-length profile in the April print issue of Pharmaceutical Executive.

Dr. Lewis-Hall will be honored at the HBA’s 22nd annual Woman of the Year Luncheon on Thursday, May 5, at the Hilton New York.

The HBA’s criteria for selecting Woman of the Year includes success in the healthcare industry, strong leadership capabilities, proven mentoring skills, dedication, a commitment to giving back to women, and contributions to the community.

“The HBA WOTY selection committee had never before received a nomination package like the one in support of Freda. She had a total of 90 nominations,” says Toni Hoover, Ph.D., Site Director, Groton/New London Laboratories, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development. “Freda has been a staunch advocate for eliminating healthcare disparities in traditionally underrepresented communities, the advancement of women across the healthcare industry, as well being a committed mentor to many women and people of color.”

I recently attended my first Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) event—the 2010 HBA Leadership Conference, held October 27 – 29 in Philadelphia.

The Leadership Conference brought together women in all levels and all facets of the healthcare industry, from sales reps to CEOs, from Biotech to Big Pharma. I attended the conference for several reasons: to network and learn as a newbie to the pharma industry, to cover the seminars and speeches as a journalist, and to pick up some leadership and career development skills as a woman in the corporate world. I fulfilled all of these goals with the help of warm, welcoming volunteers and attendees who were eager to share their knowledge and their contacts with me.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Impact Delivered: Innovate, Orchestrate, Perform.” This theme was carried throughout the three days of workshops, seminars, networking events, and panels using the metaphor of an orchestra and a conductor to explain the relationship between a leader and his or her team members. The event that started the first full day of the conference was “The Music Paradigm,” presented by conductor Roger Nierenberg. This immersive, interactive experience had us, the attendees, sitting in the audience right alongside members of a symphony orchestra: the violinists and percussionists sitting alongside the physicians and CEOs and saleswomen of Big Pharma.

The conductor lead from the stage, and all of us got to see and here the fruits of the conductor and the orchestra working together all around us. In between beautiful moments of music, Nierenberg stopped to explain the trust, leadership, confidence, flexibility, creativity, selflessness, and honesty that comprises the relationship between the conductor and the orchestra, and between the individual musicians that make up this “team.” It was easy to infer how these skills and attitudes could be attributed to corporate teams, whether you’re talking about a major pharmaceutical manufacturing company, a small sales and marketing team, or the humble publication that aims to capture and convey the nuances of the industry (yours truly).

Every workshop, panel, and discussion after The Music Paradigm utilized this metaphor to teach the attendees something about being an effective leader/member of her corporate team or about using those skills to manage some aspect of her personal or professional life.

Three days surrounded by women who devote their lives and their careers to sharing their knowledge left me refreshed and hopeful—for my own professional endeavors, for the state of the industry, and for a future paved with understanding and collaboration. I remember calling my husband on the third day of the conference, trying to put into words why I was moved nearly to tears by the attitudes and aspirations of the women around me. We live in a world where, especially in today’s job market, most people are operating on a sheer “survival of the fittest” mentality when it comes to moving up in the corporate world, and where many jobs have become just another rat race to pay the bills. What an inspiration it was to wake up and share a breakfast table with a woman who has dedicated her life to curing cancer—and to spend three days with hundreds of women like this, who, together, can accomplish something so much bigger than any one of us ever could on our own.

Thanks to the HBA for being a practical, progressive venue to help all of us contribute to the greater good, and thanks to Pharm Exec’s Editor in Chief William Looney and Group Publisher Jay Berfas for introducing me to the inspirational side of the industry.

Deirdre Connelly

GSK’s Deirdre Connelly has been named the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s Woman of the Year for 2010. Connelly, who just passed the one-year mark as president of GSK’s North American pharmaceuticals unit, is the 21st woman to win the organization’s “WOTY” award, which comes on the heels of another honor: She was ranked #37 in Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women last September, jumping five notches from #42 in 2008.

Before making the move to GSK, Connelly was president of Eli Lilly’s US operations for almost four years, a position she ascended to after starting her career with Lilly as a sales rep 22 years prior. The San Juan native worked her way up through the ranks, serving in positions such as general manager of Lilly’s Puerto Rico operations and executive director of HR in the US.

Though she’s only been at GSK for a year, Connelly has already helped turn GSK into one of the most transparent companies in the industry, and her primary focus is on achieving GSK’s—and all of pharma’s—primary purpose. “We have a calling to find a cure for diseases,” she said. “We have a duty to the patients, to respect them and put our money where our mouth is.”

Diversity also plays a key role in Connelly’s strategy, and it’s a role she’s uniquely positioned to implement. Of Irish and Puerto Rican descent, she is also one of two women on GSK’s corporate executive team. “Women leaders like Ms. Connelly serve as role models for all women in the healthcare industry,” said HBA president Susan Torroella.

Upon hearing of the honor, Connelly retained the grounded attitude she’s come to be known for. “It’s an honor,” she said. “But it’s also a responsibility.”

I had the opportunity to catch up with a few seasoned participants who are widely known throughout the HBA for their commitment to the organization—Charlotte Sibley with Shire, Ilyssa Levins, president of the Center for Communication, and Shellie Caplan, founder of Caplan Associates. First timers like Ellen Chi, principal research scientist in San Diego for Johnson & Johnson, came out to get prospective on career development. “It’s not too common you find women in pharma, so it’s nice to hear how women in the industry [at the conference] started their careers,” she said.

Hot topics of conversation are in long supply, including plenty about two companies: Roche and Genentech. And it’s no surprise: At the peak of transition and in HQ territory, the merger is one change never quite experienced before in pharma, said Jennifer Cook, vice president portfolio management of Genentech, who opened today’s morning welcome address by sharing her thoughts. “The culture of leadership that emerges for this new company will be most important,” she said. “We’ll need every employee going through this time of transition to ask themselves ‘what can I do?’”

The keynote speaker, best selling author Libby Gill, might have provided the solution. Gill shared three strategies for creating a culture of bold leadership: Develop your own leadership DNA or determine how you lead; clarify, simplify, and execute your vision of success; and then pursue a radical sense of purpose.

But perhaps the highlight of Gill’s speech came when she shared an ancient proverb to a ballroom with more than 600 women in it: “If you’re leading and nobody is following, maybe you’re just taking a walk.”

Well, I doubt anybody’s “walking” here. Empowered women are everywhere and ready to change the status quo. Stay tuned to find out how Renee Tannenbaum, chief commercial officer, Elan Pharmaceuticals, is leading her company’s operations to new heights.

The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) today announced that Dr. Deborah Dunsire, president and CEO of Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, will be honored as the 2009 Woman of the Year.

Dunsire, a 20-year veteran of biologics and pharmaceutical business, was named president and CEO of Millennium in July 2005. She has received numerous awards for her achievements in the fields of oncology, hematology, and inflammatory diseases, including an honorary Doctor of Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the American Cancer Society’s Excalibur Award, the Creative Spirit Award from the Creative Center for Women with Cancer, the New Jersey Women’s Fund Achievement Award, and the Gilda’s Club NYC Corporate Honor.

“Leaders like Dr. Dunsire continue to serve as role models for all women entering the healthcare industry, and set new standards for accomplishment,” said Ceci Zak, HBA president. “The advancements that she has helped pioneer in oncology have made an overwhelming impact in the field, and are an inspiration to us as healthcare executives.”

At the 20th annual HBA Woman of the Year luncheon in May, Dunsire will be recognized for her contributions to the healthcare industry along with a group of “Rising Stars,” and winners of the Honorable Mentor and Star Volunteer awards.

Stay tuned to Pharm Exec for more HBA Woman of the Year coverage, including a feature about Dr. Dunsire in our April issue and a special podcast series where we’ll chat with previous winners of HBA’s Woman of the Year in honor of the award’s 20th anniversary.

Rogers founded the company in 2002 after experiencing stage anxiety due to a lack of technical support. As a product manager of RPR Pharmaceuticals at the time, she found herself in front of thousands of people without any slides and only knowledge of techniques on how to look confidant.

“I realized the better you can deliver, the better you can overcome any challenge,” said Rogers. “At that moment I thought, I want to do this for a living. There is great relief knowing you can handle the pressure.”

Aside from technical difficulties, there are always complicated slides, data, and even some types of audiences that can negatively accentuate the situation, especially when trying to sell a product or prove a marketing plan. Before the next time your palms feel moist or your mouth becomes dry, remember these three tactics to peak your presentation performance:

1. There’s no way getting around complicated, heavily-data driven content in pharma. Rogers advises the implementation of storytelling to help guide audience members through a presentation’s elements. “We are story based as humans and that is how we remember things.”
2. Looking confidant is different than feeling confidant. According to Rogers, everyone sees how you look but nobody knows what you feel. Use a strong, animated voice and have an opened balance stance.
3. Personal credibility. “In this industry, trust is everything. It’s a very ethical industry with high level expectations,” says Rogers. “In order to believe you are credible, from a delivery prospective, you need to be authentic and use presentation materials as support.”

Karaoke anyone?

Coats is referring to the pressure that cash-strapped biotechs are feeling to sell out and says he gets no less than five calls a day from small companies desperate for suitors. “The VC guys are saying you better get another revenue stream or control the costs, because the money is just not coming in,” he says.

It’s an interesting vantage point for Eisai, which unlike some Big Pharma competitors doesn’t have to go through the massive reorganization and downsizing.

Part of that has to do with the more careful business planning on behalf of the Japanese companies, according to Elizabeth Evans, a senior specialty sales rep with Eisai. “The culture is different,” she said. “It’s the worst thing to fire someone, so they think very much about the long-term before making the hire.”

Coats notes that 21 percent of the company’s revenue now comes from specialty drugs—with more promising therapeutics on the way out of its new MGI Pharma acquisition. But Eisai has just 1,000 specialty reps. “Because we haven’t taken on the infrastructure, we don’t have to go through the pain that a lot of the other companies have,” he said.

Rather, the pharma company of the future will be built through partnerships instead of a lot of heavy M&A. “M&A and all the work you have to do on integration is a big distraction,” said Coats. “Look at Merck. There was a lot of pressure to do a merger. But they held the line until there were drugs coming out of the pipeline.”

Coats also notes that Jeff Kindler has made some right moves in this direction for Pfizer; he’s willing to take the hit now by holding out on a lot of the M&A that will just build up infrastructure and make the patent cliff steeper for as long as possible. Instead, the company is seeding projects throughout the rest of the industry that will bring it revenue streams in the future.

“The first thing out of everyone’s mouth when they come to my table is, ‘How are you handling the new PhRMA guidelines?’” said Tammy Kornfeld, senior account manager of Beyond Branding at Compas. The new marketing code is set to take effect in January 2009.

Kornfeld said the company is distributing flash drives with presentations explaining the tactics pharma companies can employ under the new regulations. “Reps may not be able to pass out pads and pens anymore, but there are many things that they will still be able to do,” she said. Kornfeld also added that, though the gifts are gone, corporate material can still be distributed.

Times have dramatically changed for the industry, said Chris Adams Kaufman, senior director of marketing operations at King Pharmaceuticals, from when she began as a sales representative more than 30 years ago. “When I started, profits were huge, sales were going up all the time, the drugs were all patented,” she said. “And now it is more of a challenge.”

Kaufman says differentiating your brand in the face of generic competition and selling products in an increasingly restricted managed healthcare system are the major issues confronting marketers. And while the new PhRMA guidelines will pull back on the activities companies can conduct (and the number of pens that they can pass out), Kaufman believes the industry can easily overcome that barrier with a little creativity. Despite a shrinking sales force, she says, reps are still integral to delivering a brand. And we shouldn’t forget it.

“There are business clichés that say there are two jobs in America: You either make it or sell it,” said Kaufman. “Being a sales rep demonstrates you have the intelligence to do the job, learn the therapeutic category, learn the marketing place, understand the clinical studies, and acquire both oral and written communication skills.” She’s sure that reps can learn how to maneuver in the new environment as well.

The trends that surfaced today are clear: It’s time to prepare to enter a new era of marketing to physicians, be cognizant and ready for the inevitable challenges, and remember the invaluable service of our sales force teams.

Reporting to you from Chicago at the Sixth Annual Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association leadership conference, where the story—set in this city of the new US President—is all about change.

The Pharm Exec crew arrived in a surprisingly tranquil Windy City—the only explanation that it was the calm after the storm of Tuesday’s election. Certainly, many HBA members had been up all night watching the election, with a dozen members who took to the streets and joined the rally for Barack Obama at Grant Park.

“It was like being at Woodstock,” said Nancy Larsen, President of PROmedica Communications, who was part of a group that attended the rally. “Even though we were standing shoulder-to-shoulder in this massive crowd, it felt serene to be with all these people—it gave me goose bumps.”

“It’s not watching history—it’s actually being a part of it,” said Eve Dryer, Principal and President of Vox Medica Public Relations.

Yet even with the election front-and-center in the nation’s consciousness, executives here seem more focused on pharma’s patent cliff crisis and the latest round of layoffs, instead of major healthcare reform.

“We get the sense that there is some pent-up demand for talent,” said one attendee. “We think people might begin hiring after the election—we’ll be able to tell by year end if that is happening. People may begin hiring because we don’t get the sense that Obama will get to healthcare first.”

The focus of the conference is leadership development, and many conversations and presentations were peppered with concern over how tough times will affect careers in pharma, particularly for those who have been traditionally underrepresented.

“Many of the banks were at the forefront of setting up on-ramping and off-ramping career tracks for women—they had to—and really paved the way for other industries,” said Meryl Zausner, CFO of Novartis. “But now, those efforts will be hampered.”

Still, it seems that many companies are trying their best with programs to bring up women and other minority groups. Novartis CEO Ludwig Hanston accepted the HBA’s 2nd Annual ACE Award on behalf of the company for  its Empowering Women Impacting Novartis and Women in Leadership program.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson (the 2007 ACE Award winner) had a chance to take the stage to talk about how it is seeking to expand its workplace program for women, all 60,000, with new efforts to focus on its European affiliates, sales force in Japan, and even to its group in Cape Town, South Africa while Adrian Sax, who heads business development for King Pharmaceuticals, spoke about the grassroots efforts for inclusion happening at smaller companies.

And for the rest of us? Well, at least there’s the Healthcare Businesswoman’s Association (HBA) and its annual Leadership Conference. The event is being held next week in Chicago (and if it’s the hometown of the President, we expect it to be all the more exciting). With more than 600 attendees already registered, it will be the largest meeting of its kind. One-third of these women are vice presidents and above, so for the ladder climbers in the industry, this is the place to be.

Pharm Exec will be doing on-site blogging—so stay tuned for regular updates. In particular, we’re looking forward to the panel of “Hard Lessons, Sweet Successes,” moderated by Charlotte Sibley, HBA’s 2008 Woman of the Year. Charlotte shocked the luncheon crowd in May when she revealed her own story of the ups and downs of working in the pharmaceutical industry. (To read her story, click here) This time, she puts tough questions to an esteemed panel including Dierdre Connelly, President, Lilly USA; Len Kanavy, Vice President, Commercial Operations of Genentech; Renee Tannenbaum, Global Head, Commercial Operations, Novartis AG; Eisai’s President Lonnel Coats; and Ginger Graham, Two Trees Consulting, former CEO Amylin.