The HBA Honors Its 2016 Woman Of The Year: Jennifer Cook Of Roche
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