Specific Areas of Experience Corporate Restructuring At Abbott Vascular Japan, as president Geoff led a major restructuring of the organization in which functions were streamlined and staffing was reduced by approximately 20%, or 50 people. This difficult task was accomplished via a voluntary resignation program designed to balance the demands of the regulatory and cultural environment of the labour market in Japan against the need to keep crucial clinical trial and sales resources in place and working effectively. The restructuring was markedly successful in achieving the desired reductions while maintaining essential capability. Regulatory Strategy & Business Case At Johnson & Johnson in early 2010 Geoff led a team which defined the regulatory strategy and developed the comprehensive business case for a computer-assisted personalized sedation system (a computer-assisted drug delivery device for use with a sedative drug). Based on feedback from the PMDA (the Japanese regulatory body), the team worked with the developer of the drug, a "big pharma" company, and the US team which developed the delivery device to design a dosing study and plan the outline for a subsequent pivotal clinical trial. Based on the clinical program design parameters, Geoff led the team in building a comprehensive business case setting cost estimates for the clinical program against revenue and profit projections. This became the basis for negotiating a collaboration agreement with the big pharma company and obtaining approvals at J&J and the pharma company to begin the initial clinical study. Drug Distribution Project In an independent venture project in 2010-11 Geoff built a business plan for a domestic Japan drug
distribution business. The plan features
twin entities, a specialty clinic and a management services corporation, and a
flow of pharmaceutical product and services between the entities designed to
optimize efficiency and profitability of drug distribution to the clinic’s
patients, while meeting the broader community need to improve the level of
medical care to this special patient group. Marketing Activities for the Cypher Drug Eluting Coronary Stent In 2005-06 Geoff served as Director of Marketing for Cordis Cardiology at Johnson & Johnson in Japan. Leading a team of 17, he managed a very heavy program of events intended to communicate clinical and safety information to Japanese cardiologists, in order to promote safe usage of the Cypher stent, make sure that the cardiology community and regulators had full visibility to the therapy's results, and hence ensure a transparent and successful introduction of drug eluting stent therapy into Japan. The success of this program was underlined by the fact that when late stent thrombosis surfaced as as issue on the world stage in late 2006 Japan's penetration of drug eluting stents fell only slightly in contrast with the US and Europe where usage rates fell dramatically. Ventilator and CPAP Device Rental & Sales Management At the Fuji Respironics Division of Philips in Japan, Geoff managed a force of over 400 people engaged in sales of and rental services for ventilators and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) devices for sleep apnea. Managing a rental pool of tens of thousands of CPAP devices and thousands of ventilators, he led the organization in finding ways to refine systems, enhance efficiency, improve compliance, adapt to an evolving market, and begin the process of integration with the Philips organization while achieving double digit revenue growth. Neurovascular Product Development At Guidant in the early 2000's, Geoff worked as the marketing & business development manager for a group developing a stent for atherosclerosis in the intracranial vasculature and a thrombus retrieval device ultimately intended to treat acute ischemic stroke. As product manager he held clinical advisory board meetings with leading interventional neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons and neurologists to solicit input into product design, clinical and regulatory strategy and business strategy for the venture. Ultimately the group was successful in completing a clinical trial for the stent and obtaining FDA clearances to market both products. Sales of Endosurgery Products and Endovascular AAA Graft At Guidant in the 1990's Geoff managed Japan, Asia Pacific, Australia/NZ and Latin America sales of products for laparoscopic surgery, cardiac & vascular surgery, and an endovascular graft for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. Responsible for product launches, distributor channel management, marketing and training activities, and the P&L, he coordinated with distributors, key opinion leaders and internal stakeholders to build a durable business presence and achieve Guidant's financial objectives. At Pilkington in the 1990's, Geoff was a key member of the team that launched "Consept", the first chemical disinfection system for soft contact lenses approved in Japan. Working with the affiliate team in Japan he helped characterize the market and develop an OEM marketing strategy for the product. On the US side he coordinated manufacturing, packaging and logistic activities to facilitate a timely and problem-free launch. The product was a great success and enjoyed a monopoly in the Japanese market for four years. |     |
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