Events / Marketing Communications / Sales / Brand & Product Management / Product Lifecycle / Budgets / CRM / P&L / IT / Cost & Pricing / Process Improvement / Team Building / Forecasting / Product Development & Launch / Market Analysis
Drove market share, revenues and profits for industry leaders, in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare industries. Developed strategic rollouts of new and existing products in diverse markets. Created pricing models and programs for use in managed care, hospital, alternate site, chain, wholesale and distributor markets. Early experience in IT positions and product line management provided foundation for successes in sales and marketing. Managed budgets to $5M and staff to 65.
• Forged strong relationship with wavering Gemini/MCM partner, obtaining $1.3M in renewed programs.
• Identified and launched 55 new products, increasing Wyeth/ESI Lederle sales 6% to $250M.
• Developed and implemented product defense strategy, maintaining $300M in patented product revenues.
• Instituted new product launch process, propelling Purepac from #5 to #1 ranking versus competition.
• Created customer-centric launch programs, boosting Baxter Healthcare to niche market share leadership.
• Revamped Baxter Healthcare forecasting process, facilitating expansion of product shipments and revenues.
• Negotiated sales and marketing strategy, saving Wyeth $900K in product returns.
Key Skills: Translating market insight into product requirements and direction. Developing strategies to improve profitability and achieve optimal performance. Identifying opportunities, opening new markets and driving revenues. Managing entire product life cycle. Building consensus among management, sales and technical teams.
BS, Information Science, University of Pittsburgh.
Masters of Management, Business Admin/Finance, Penn State University.
SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Forged strong relationship with wavering Gemini/MCM partner, obtaining $1.3M in renewed programs. Disease Benchmark program was languishing with pharmaceutical partner. Secured and worked closely with program champion to shepherd project and obtain program approval per pharmaceutical guidelines. Trained sales team and launched program. Significantly increased pharmaceutical organization value to managed care customers. Re-signed partner.
Global product launch experience in anesthesia. Launched propofol into Mexico which required a branded strategy unlike typical generic US business. Also launched products in China, Canada and Germany under the anesthesia umbrella. Launch strategy included selection of brand name, detail plan for physicians, sales force training, product messaging and related sales aids. Analyzed opportunities for other products including market size, pricing, contracting strategy and sales detailing.
Identified and launched 55 new products, increasing Wyeth/ESI Lederle sales to $250M. Company needed to expand generic product pipeline. Assumed new position to select commercially viable products. Analyzed proprietary pharmaceutical market, identifying ideal generic therapeutic product candidates. Created forecasts, launch plans, marketing materials, promotional opportunities. Successfully launched products in multiple distribution channels.
Developed and implemented product defense strategy, maintaining $300M in patented product revenues. Major Baxter Healthcare product was facing competition from generic drug. Fostered plan to combat competition, including pricing and contracting options, marketing materials, sales force direction and coordination, and sales incentive structure. Convincingly advised medical community of generic drug deficiencies. Held off competition for additional six months.
Created customer-centric launch programs, boosting Baxter Healthcare to niche market share leadership. Hospital marketing group had no consistent or viable launch programs for hospital market. Analyzed current marketing programs, hospital market and customer requirements. Developed launch programs that fit hospital purchasing patterns. Maintained high share of market and launch productivity in face of multiple competitors.
Revamped Baxter Healthcare forecasting process, facilitating expansion of product shipments and revenues. Hospital products division was constantly faced with backorders. Determined need to enhance forecasting by transferring function from Finance to Marketing. Developed forecasting process based on seasonality, elective surgery schedules and other market factors. Increased forecast accuracy from 41% to 96% reducing production logjam and lost orders.
Instituted new product launch process, propelling Purepac from #5 to #1 ranking versus competition. Company lacked coordinated process to launch products. Evaluated competitive strategies, analyzed markets and assessed customer needs. Developed forecasts to determine commercial viability of products. Implemented successful product launch campaigns, achieving significant product distribution, share of voice and market relative to competitors.
KATHRYN KOVALIC PAGE 2
CAREER HISTORY
Gemini Healthcare/The MCM Group, VP Account Group Supervisor/VP Business Development, 2006-Present.
• Accomplished speaker at disease conferences on Depression and MS
• Manage and direct agency business with pharmaceutical partners, including creation and development of collateral materials, productions, copy clearance and final submissions of such materials.
• Develop new contacts in pharmaceutical for business opportunities.
• Contracted for $3M of disease benchmark programs with pharmaceutical partners.
• Accomplished speaker for disease benchmark programs to key managed care organizations, such as Aetna, United Health, Kaiser, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and many others.
• Product areas include depression, diabetes, lung cancer, breast cancer, MS, Allergy, and others
Baxter Healthcare
Sr. Director of Marketing, 2004-2006.
• Accepted global responsibility for forecasting and marketing of existing product lines to maximize profit, reduce raw material costs, launch into selected global markets, set pricing, product messaging, thought leader development where required.
• Analyzed current markets, customer needs, past launch strategies of other pharmaceutical companies, priced new products, designed and implemented launch programs.
• Created strategic pricing models, global and domestic, and programs for use in managed care, hospital, alternate site, chain, wholesale and distributor markets.
Generated $700M in product sales in Anesthesia and Critical Care product portfolio.
Launched eight pharmaceutical products in major therapeutic categories in multiple distribution channels.
Created sales force bonus structure, launch promotions, and related tracking.
Director of Marketing, 2001-2004.
Merged/integrated two hospital companies into one consolidated company.
Designed and implemented launch programs. Reviewed and revised hospital injectable contracts, distribution arrangements, third party vendors, ad agencies, marketing organization, forecasting, product lines, market research organization, field sales alignments for hospital and alternate site market segments.
Created and implemented corporate image campaigns geared toward heightening awareness of companies in minds of hospital pharmacist.
Analyzed current markets, customer needs, past launch strategies of other pharmaceutical companies, priced the new products, designed and implemented launch programs.
Created strategic pricing models and programs for use in managed care, hospital, alternate site, chain, wholesale and distributor markets.
Launched 30 new pharmaceutical products, including allergy, cough/cold, cardiovascular, oncology, anesthesia, anti-infective and many other major therapeutic categories.
Faulding/Purepac
Director of Marketing, 1999-2001.
Created and implemented corporate image campaigns geared toward heightening awareness of the companies in the minds of the retail pharmacist
Managed National Account Sales Force calling on retail market segment.
Developed new product distribution programs.
Evaluated competitive strategies, analyzed current market situations, assessed customer needs and implemented highly successful product launch campaigns to achieve high product distribution, share of voice and market share.
Prepared strategic R&D plans, including review of patent expiration dates, sales projections, identifications of strengths and weaknesses of competitive companies. Participated in new business selection committee meetings to evaluate potential new products and various marketing alliances
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Director of New Products Marketing, 1997-1999
• Prepared strategic R&D plans, including review of patent expiration dates, sales projections, identifications of strengths and weaknesses of competitive companies.
• Participated in new business selection committee meetings to evaluate potential new products and various marketing alliances.
• Responsible for new ANDA product development, rollover product development and out-sourced product acquisitions which includes market analysis, pricing and forecasting assumptions, strategies and sales projections
Director Sales Support, 1996-1997
• Merged two oral solid pharmaceutical companies into one consolidated company
• Reviewed and revised chain, wholesale, distributor, long term care and hospital contracting strategies which included development of new contracting programs for each market segment.
• Created and implemented corporate image campaigns geared toward heightening awareness of companies in minds of retail pharmacists.
• Managed National Account Sales Force calling on retail market segment
Manager Customer Service and Information, 1994-1996
• Reviewed and revised chain, wholesale, distributor, long term care and hospital contracting strategies which included development of new contracting programs for each market segment.
• Developed marketing programs directed to neurologists to heighten awareness of availability of various Parkinson’s disease related drug products.
Systems Analyst. 1992-1994
• Design, coding and implementation of customer distribution and pricing systems including deals, product promotions, pricing, DEA 222 processing and reporting requirements, distribution and warehouse inventory allocation systems.
• Design, coding and implementation of electronic batch record processing system including validation of computer system and batch record creation and maintenance processes.
Early Career: Financial Analyst, System Design Analyst, Ford Motor Company; Advance Programmer Analyst, SMS (Shared Medical Systems), Sr. Programmer Analyst, hospital information systems.