Being part of a large family helped me understand group problem-solving and the phrase, “It takes a village.” My parents were always donating their time to the community, which also influenced me.
I enrolled in Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., to study math and French history, but switched to English. I was fascinated by the expression of ideas from different eras.
After graduating in 1977, I worked as director of marketing for a Wisconsin shopping center. My department was responsible for promoting the entire mall. It was my first insight into consumer behavior.
In 1981, I joined Kimberly-Clark as a marketing assistant in the adult care consumer division, just before the company introduced Depend, our incontinence product, nationwide. It was great training in how to gain shelf space for a new product that many consumers found hard to accept. People weren’t comfortable admitting to incontinence, and in those days we weren’t allowed to say much about the condition in print ads.
I obtained an M.B.A. in 1986, moved to Atlanta and received several promotions. In 1996, I became vice president of KimFibers, another division, and the next year I moved to the health care division. I was part of the team that worked on its first acquisition, Tecnol Medical Products, which produces face masks. We also acquired Safeskin, for its medical exam gloves, and several other companies.
When considering an acquisition, executives often underestimate the importance of the cultural fit. Just as some people wrongly think they can change their partner after marriage, executives think they can change a company’s culture when they acquire it. I’ve learned that when you’re integrating a company into yours, faster is better. You also need a finely tuned process for mergers and acquisitions.
In 1998, I became vice president of global marketing for health care, and in 2001 I was appointed president of the division. I was highly visible as a female in these roles, and as a result I’ve tried to support other women as a sponsor in our women’s network.
Our health care products include those for pain relief, respiratory and digestive health, and protection against hospital-acquired infections. Our customers are mostly hospitals and ambulatory care centers. Our products are often subject to even more government regulation than products sold directly to consumers.
Recently we started a patient education program on health care-associated infections, which cause a large number of deaths each year. There are several steps patients can take to avoid problems, like checking to see that clinicians wash their hands upon entering a hospital room.
I started traveling globally for business in 1995, and it’s had an extreme impact on me personally. Once I attended a meeting in Japan that required some of us to be there over a weekend. We asked our general manager there to arrange an experience completely different from what we were used to. He sent us on a retreat in the mountains of Kyoto, and I slept on a straw mat.
The weekend was the most tranquil experience I’ve ever had. We were completely immersed in Japanese culture. It was a world away from flying in and out for a meeting.
As told to Patricia R. Olsen.
Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=1d2d5b982d16edb76f8dda9195061e08
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