Yesterday we had a grand celebration at Élan together with Johnson & Johnson. J&J had agreed to invest $1B in Élan and partner in our efforts and join the fight to cure Alzheimer’s.
The presentation was very well delivered, the atmosphere was up beat, and the future is promising. All in all very exciting times. What stroke me the most was the presence of our CEO Kelly Martin. Here is someone who came on board 7 years ago, not long after me, in times where the company was bleeding big time. He executed extremely well back then to get us out of the crisis. The third deep dip happened end of last year. The fact that the market was down didn’t help. There was a nasty storm of critics around Kelly Martin and he was even appointed “The worst Biopharma CEO 2008”. You can say what you want about his leadership, all I know is that he was not alone and it is difficult as a leader to cover all fronts. I must say, what comes across very strongly is a clear focus on the stake: making a difference in patient’s life and meet unmet needs. It is probably the focus on that stake and continuous execution towards it that made him come out tall from this storm too.
In the evening I sat watching the covering of the memorial service of Michael Jackson. “Heal the world. Let’s make this a better place. For you and for me and the entire human race…” We all do what we can to make the better for ourselves, our immediate surrounding and in a bigger perspective. Michael Jackson made a huge contribution in many ways. The deal with Élan and J&J is a win-win-win situation for Élan, J&J and our patients with families. The research and clinical studies that we have in the pipeline have huge potential. The “leader stake” is clear: making a difference in the lives of patients and their families by bringing innovations in science to fill significant unmet medical needs.
What is your leader stake? What impact do you want to have in your world – small or big?
My stake right here and now is to share the joy (and if you read the end of the post “And the winner is…” you’ll get some more flavor to it.)
Johanna
If you know someone with Alzheimer’s – please inform your self by clicking the icon below, share the information and join the fight if you find appropriate.
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