Emmens was nominated by a number of HBA members to be the organization’s sixth Honorable Mentor. “Matt is considered to be one of the few leaders whose work touches the lives of tens of thousands of people – from employees to patients – around the world,” said Barbara Pritchard, Co-Chair, HBA Woman of the Year Luncheon. “Matt’s open, fair and focused style has helped to transform Shire, allowing the organization to grow into a leading global pharmaceutical company.”

(Matt Emmens on the left pictured with Mike McCurdy of HealthNewsDigest.com

The HBA created the Honorable Mentor Award in 2001 to annually honor one man in the industry who has demonstrated long-term support of the advancement of women in the healthcare industry; has a personal dedication to developing, mentoring and promoting women in the industry; and who has been supportive of the HBA.

“Matt was chosen as this year’s HBA Honorable Mentor because of the many inspiring testimonials about his dedication to the advancement of women in the healthcare industry. Such promotion of our mission deserves to be recognized,” said HBA President Debra L. Newton, President, Newton Grey. Newton added, “The people nominating him clearly underscored that he is an outstanding leader who has the ability to empower his staff to produce positive results.”

Since joining Shire in 2003, Emmens, 54, has led the company through a significant and successful transformation, building on its nearly 20-year foundation as a specialty pharmaceutical company. Recent company achievements under his leadership include the $1.6 billion acquisition of a Massachusetts-based biotech company (now known as Shire Human Genetic Therapies); the consolidation of 14 North American sites to five more efficient and effective locations; the realignment of existing senior managers and the recruitment of seasoned industry veterans to create an 11-member executive leadership team (of which three are women); and a series of sales and marketing awards in the U.S. and Europe, including the best marketing team distinction by industry magazine MM&M, second most admired specialty pharmaceutical company in 2005 by MedAdNews, and 2005 Company of the Year by the Eastern Technology Council.

“Matt really values diversity of thinking, styles and approaches. He is an excellent mentor to women, and he regards women as a key to success in business. He has always hired and promoted qualified women throughout his career, and I view him as a mentor, one who is also very open to learning and is always challenging himself,” said Anita Graham, Shire’s Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources.

Prior to joining Shire, Emmens held positions of increasing responsibility at Merck & Co., Astra Merck and Merck KGaA. Emmens has held numerous leadership and committee positions on various non-profit and community-based organizations over his career. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, BIO Pennsylvania, and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

Shire is a global specialty pharmaceutical company with a strategic focus on meeting the needs of the specialist physician and currently focuses on developing projects and marketing products in the areas of central nervous system (CNS), gastrointestinal (GI), general products (GP) and human genetic therapies.

The first HBA Honorable Mentor award was given to William S. Sheldon, then President and COO, Eisai Inc; in 2002, to Timothy Rothwell, then Executive Vice President and President, Global Prescription Business for Pharmacia Corporation, and a member of the HBA Advisory Board; in 2003 to Ronald W. Dollens, President and Chief Executive Officer of Guidant Corporation; and in 2004 to David Epstein, President of Novartis Oncology and a member of the HBA Advisory Board. In 2005, the HBA honored Mick Mosebrook, Executive Vice President – Sales, U.S. Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Inc.

© 2006 HealthNewsDigest.com