Jennifer_Cook

The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s 27th Woman of the Year event took place on May 12, 2016, at the Hilton New York Midtown. HBA’s WOTY 2016 luncheon recognized the outstanding achievements of healthcare industry female leadership in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 people.

Jennifer Cook, head of pharma, region Europe for Roche, was the 2016 Woman of the Year recipient. Since 2013. Jennifer has been responsible for enabling people in Europe to access Roche medicines, achieving the company’s commercial success in Europe and spearheading the 5,700-person work force in the region’s 28 countries. Jennifer has built a stellar reputation for leadership and people development, inspiring and empowering other leaders within Roche’s pharma region in Europe and serving as a trusted mentor to employees throughout the company.

“I am truly honored to receive this recognition,” Jennifer says. “In this period of rapid evolution for our industry, I believe we have an unprecedented opportunity to improve health outcomes for patients and societies worldwide. As HBA Woman of the Year, I feel privileged to help bring together the many remarkable women in our industry to further our impact.”

Jennifer joined Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, during 1987. She spent the first five years working in research and early development before joining Prizm Pharmaceuticals, a start-up biotech company based in San Diego. Jennifer returned to Genentech during 1997 and since then has held positions of increasing responsibility in commercial operations and portfolio management, including VP market development, senior VP global portfolio management, and senior VP and US business unit head of immunology and ophthalmology. Jennifer’s work with that team in leading culture change for strategic advantage has been detailed in a case study published at the Haas School, the Harvard Business School, and California Management Review.

She earned a BA degree in human biology and an MS in biology from Stanford University, ans an MBA from the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley.

Jacopo Leonardi, executive vice president and president of Immunology at Baxalta Inc., was recognized as the HBA’ 2016 Honorable Mentor. Established during 2001, the Honorable Mentor award recognizes an individual who shows long-term support for the advancement of women in the healthcare arena, has a personal dedication to developing, mentoring and promoting women in the industry, and who has been supportive of the association’s goals.

“I am humbled and honored to be named HBA’s 2016 Honorable Mentor,” notes Jacopo Leonardi. “It has been incredibly gratifying to learn from, partner with and sponsor phenomenal women leaders throughout my career and to help ensure they have every opportunity to achieve success in their careers and in their lives. I believe in the importance of embracing true diversity, of connecting with as many different people as possible to come together to create something remarkable and bring out the best thinking and ideas. An essential part of this is cultivating a highly inclusive culture that inspires gender intelligence and partnership.”   

Jacopo joined Baxter, now known as Baxalta, during January 2009. He has held several key leadership roles including VP of US sales and marketing for biotherapeutics, general manager for US hemophilia and most recently region head of Baxter’s North American hematology organization. Before joining Baxter, Jacopo spent 14 years in key development and leadership roles in technical service, sales, global new product development and US brand management at Unilever, Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson.

He earned his bachelor of science degree with high honors in psychology from Rutgers College where he was a Henry Rutgers Honors Scholar, and received his MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Deborah Coogan Seltzer, director of enhanced search, North America, of the life sciences practice of executive search consulting firm Spencer Stuart, is HBA’s 2016 STAR (Strategic Transformation Achievement Recognition). The HBA annually honors a STAR who stands apart as a truly exemplary role model by showing a long-term commitment to the association’s strategic goals of furthering the advancement and impact of women in healthcare business.

As an HBA member since 1997, Deborah has held numerous organization and chapter-level board and leadership positions. She has played a leading role in countless initiatives to help the HBA grow and thrive during her nearly 20 years with the association. Deborah served as HBA president during 2011. She was a founding board member of the first HBA chapter – Atlanta – and served as the chapter president from 2003 to 2005.

“The HBA is a very special organization,” Deborah remarks. “We embrace the concept of ‘radical hospitality,’ where new people can come in and quickly feel like they are part of something bigger —  at the level of engagement that feels right for them personally. For me, the HBA offers the opportunity to grow, to try new things that I wouldn’t have the chance — or courage — to do in my day-to-day life. I am proud of my work in supporting the HBA’s transformation and therefore its ability to pursue its important mission more.”

During a two-decade-plus career in executive search, Deborah has worked extensively in the pharma, biotechnology, medical device and services sectors of the life sciences industry, serving clients from startups to Fortune 100 organizations. Deborah’s work spans functional areas, including executive/general management, sales, marketing, human resources, business development, finance and technically-oriented executives in fields such as R&D, clinical and pre-clinical development, technical operations/manufacturing, scientific affairs/regulatory and quality assurance.

HBA’s Rising Stars are professionals in the early to mid stage of their career representing various sectors of the healthcare industry and designated by the association’s Corporate Partner organizations.

The 2016 Rising Stars are:

Sara Allen, director of digital 
JUICE Pharma Worldwide

Susan Asante-Abedi, senior principal  
IMS Consulting Group

Nyra Bannis, director of patient services  
Shire

Chiara Bergerone, senior business director Europe 
BD

Bárbara Büchel, vice president, global business director 
Indigenus, the global network of the bloc

Joan Cannon, national director, medical science liaisons 
Lundbeck

Kris Cappo, director, forecasting 
Teva Pharmaceuticals

Elizabeth Ciccio, vice president of marketing 
Skipta

Kelly Cullen, vice president, account group supervisor  
Create NYC

Paula Dantas, senior tax manager 
EY

Christine Dellanno, US regulatory healthcare manager 
RB

Nancy Shore DiLella, senior associate general counsel 
Genentech Inc.

Belinda N. Drew, deputy director, global hemophilia strategic marketing communications and excellence 
Bayer

Raffaella Faggioni, senior director, research and development
MedImmune, the biologics arm of AstraZeneca

Carla Fernandez, vice president, sales 
Cardinal Health

MaryBeth Forte, director, human resources business partner 
Daiichi-Sankyo Inc.

Gina Fusaro, PhD, senior director, global scientific communications, solid tumors and early pipeline 
Celgene Corp.

Adrienne D. Gonzalez, senior counsel, litigation and government investigations 
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

Catherine Goss, senior vice president, managing director 
Ogilvy CommonHealth

Kasey Quinn Griffin, associate director, clinical operations 
Quintiles Inc.

Debra Harris, senior director, marketing solutions 
Healthcasts

Carolyn Higgins, senior scientist, research and development program leader 
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

Michelle R. Horton, principal 
PwC

Shauna Horvath, director of client services 
Cambridge BioMarketing, a division of Everyday Healt, Inc.

Samina Kanwar, PhD, associate vice president and head of life cycle management COE, global human health 
Merck & Co. Inc.

Vildan Kehr, divisional vice president, global talent acquisition 
Abbott

Irina Kusnezow, manager 
EY

Sue Lambert, senior director of customer experience 
Thermo Fisher Scientific

Suzanne E. Maahs, PharmD, associate director in clinical sciences and innovation, translational medicine 
Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Heather McCollum, director, compliance 
Shionogi Inc.

Lisa J. Micarelli, vice presdient, account strategy 
McCann Managed Markets

Kim Milnes, director, global strategic internal communications 
Bayer

Phuong Khanh (P.K.) Morrow, MD, executive medical director 
Amgen

April Mulroney, managing director, Medidata payments 
Medidata

Christa Murphy, director, human resources 
Eisai Inc.

Pauline Ng, vice president, group account supervisor 
Phase Five Communications, a division of ghg

Lauren Michelle Nook, vice president, management supervisor 
McCann Echo

Ebele Ola, MD, director, medical affairs 
Johnson & Johnson

Eliza Oristano, assistant vice president 
Makovsky

Caroline Pak, PharmD, medical editor-in-chief 
Pfizer Inc.

Kelly Payne, leader – global business solutions the Americas 
Eli Lilly and Co.

Veronica Pickens, senior director, compliance and delegation 
Inovalon Inc.

Michelle T. Quinn, vice president, head legal, generics 
Sandoz Inc.

Sarah Radicsh, vice president, account group supervisor 
Havas Life New York

Suma Ramadas, PhD, managing director, medical affairs 
inVentiv Health Consulting, formerly Campbell Alliance

Shannon Resetich, global franchise head
Baxalta

Kimberly Robinson, vice president, management supervisor 
Giant Creative Strategy

Emery Rogers, account director 
TBWA\WorldHealth

Nicole E. Romano, senior director, client services 
Publicis Touchpoint Solutions

Jody Russell, talent partner 
UCB

Eugenia A. Rutenberg, business planning 
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc

.Melissa R. Scherkoske, vice president, group account director 
Discovery USA

Tara Schweitzer, national account director 
Boehringer Ingelheim

Mona M. Scrofano, senior director, scientific and competitive analysis 
Takeda Oncology

Jennifer A. Shimek, principal 
KPMG

Sujatha Sonti, head, formulation and process development 
GlaxoSmithKline

Christine E. Sproule, associate director 
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt Germany

Tara Sullivan, senior vice president, client service director 
CDM NY

Jenny Sung, associate vice president, evidence based medicine research 
Sanofi

Clare Tong, senior director, custom research 
AlphaImpactRx

Kirsten Hansen Tonnessen, vice president, management supervisor 
McCann Healthcare

Diane DiGangi Trench, head of account management, managed markets 
Takeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc.

Sherrise Yvonne Trotz, senior director, enterprise immunizations 
Walgreens Boots Alliance

Ruth Trzcienski, senior manager, compliance 
inVentiv Health

Meredith Valentine, senior brand manager 
Johnson & Johnson

Deena M. Ward, senior director, area accounts 
Novo Nordisk

Pamela C. Wille, medical director/copy supervisor 
Flashpoint Medica

Kassie D. Wooton, senior staff liaison to the president and CEO 
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

Quyen Yuen, team leader 
Allidura Consumer, inVentiv Health

Lili Zhu, Pfizer global commercial operation China lead (senior director) 
Pfizer Inc.

 

Since the HBA began honoring Rising Stars during 1998, the association has recognized more than 1,000 talented women from its Corporate Partner organizations. As part of the 25th anniversary of the 2014 WOTY outing, the HBA honored 25 previous Rising Stars as an inaugural class of Luminaries because they made a significant impact on the healthcare industry and/or experienced significant career advancement since receiving their Rising Star award.

The HBA’ s 2016 Luminaries are:

Deirdre Albertson, vice president, project management
inVentiv Health 

Sandy Babey, vice president/general manager, US region 
BD

Iris Bavaj, senior director quality operations, Europe 
West Pharmaceutical Services

Beth Beck, general manager 
McCann Health North America

Debby Betz, chief officer of corporate affairs and communications 
Indivior PLC

Bridget Boyle, vice president and site head human resources 
Roche Diagnostics

Francine Carrick, PhD, executive vice president, chief scientific officer 
GSW, inVentiv Health

Mary Christian, head, oncology academic research group 
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

Rhonda Nesmith Crichlow, vice president and head, US diversity and inclusion 
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

Jennifer Damico, vice president, corporate audit 
Pfizer Inc.

Sabina Ewing, vice president, business technology 
Pfizer Inc.

Lyn Falconio, executive vice president worldwide business director 
Publicis Health

Cheryl Fielding, executive vice president, director of client services 
PALIO, inVentiv Health

Heather Gervais, epocrates vice president commercial operations 
athenahealth

Patrice Gilooly, vice president, quality assurance and operations 
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Jani Hegarty, president 
Health & Wellness Partners

Rachelle Jacques, vice president US hematology marketing 
Baxalta

Anne Keating, executive director, global development team leader 
Astellas

Meg McKenna, vice president, US surgical care sales 
Baxter Healthcare Corp.

Lisa Miller, PharmD, executive director, healthcare systems 
Purdue Pharma L.P.

Cherene Powell, managing director 
Accenture Strategy

Julie Schiffman, vice president portfolio and decision analysis 
Pfizer Inc.

Michele Schimmel, managing director 
Rx Mosaic Health

Amy Starck, principal 
Deloitte Consulting

Amy Van Buren, vice president, implementation 
Magellan Rx Management

Karen Vari, regulatory competency lead – informationist 
Knowledgent

Jacquie Vealey, executive director segment solutions infectious disease 
Quest Diagnostics

Marilyn Vetter, vice president, government and public affairs 
Horizon Pharma