HDMA 2007 Annual Leadership Forum

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Speaker Biographies

George B. Abercrombie President & CEO Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
	George B. Abercrombie joined Roche in January, 2001, as President and Chief Executive Officer. He is responsible for leading the North American Pharmaceuticals Operations at Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. in Nutley, New Jersey, and the Canadian affiliate, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. in Mississauga, Ontario. Abercrombie is also a member of the Roche Pharmaceutical Executive Committee (PEC), which is responsible for developing and implementing global strategy for the Pharmaceuticals division.

Governor George Allen (R-VA)
	Governor George Allen (R-VA) served the Commonwealth of Virginia for more than 20 years as Governor, in both bodies of the United States Congress, as a delegate holding Thomas Jefferson's seat and Assistant Minority Leader in the Virginia General Assembly. Sworn in as Governor in 1994, George Allen brought sweeping reform that made Virginia a national model in economic development, public safety, education accountability and good government. Allen helped reform healthcare policy and improved coverage to make it more affordable for individuals across the economic spectrum. He is admired by Democrats and Republicans for expanding opportunities in education and in healthcare. His efforts to reform medical malpractice were lauded, as were his unprecedented healthcare improvements at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair
	Tony Blair served as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from May 1997 to June 2007. He was also the leader of Britain’s Labor Party (1994 to 2007) and the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield, England (1983 to 2007). He is currently serving as the Middle East Quartet Representative. The Quartet is made up of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia. During his ten years as Prime Minister, Tony Blair transformed Britain’s public services through a program of investment and reform in schools and hospitals, resulting in more children achieving better school results and more people receiving faster access to healthcare, with improved survival rates for cancer and coronary heart disease. In the United States, he received widespread recognition for his support for America after the tragedy of 9/11. Mr. Blair has always been a strong advocate of a values-based, activist and multilateralist foreign policy – an agenda that combined tackling terrorism and intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Sierra Leone, with action on issues like climate change, global poverty, Africa and the Middle East Peace Process. Mr. Blair is widely credited for his contribution towards assisting the Northern Ireland Peace Process by helping jointly to negotiate the Good Friday Agreement and deliver a power-sharing government.

Senator John Breaux (D-LA)
	Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) is a dedicated and vital figure in the American political arena. Breaux led a long and distinguished career before joining Patton Boggs as Senior Counsel upon his retirement from the United States Senate in 2005. As a lobbyist, Breaux specializes in healthcare and energy law, and spearheads his own national campaign, “Ceasefire on Health Care: Finding Common Ground for the Uninsured.” Through the campaign, Breaux has hosted multiple events with prominent members of both parties to establish a dialogue that will lead to real healthcare reform. Senator Breaux was a widely recognized bipartisan leader in the Senate, and in 1993 was elected by his Democratic colleagues to the post of Deputy Minority Whip, a position he held until his retirement.

Eric G. Brown Vice President, Research Director Forrester Research, Inc.
	A frequent and highly-rated industry speaker, Brown launched Forrester’s Healthcare practice in 1999 and now serves as Research Director, examining the impact of the adoption of information technology on life sciences firms, health plans and healthcare providers. Brown’s current research agenda focuses on regional health information networks, payer-provider connectivity, medical claims platforms and physician office technology adoption.

Ken Couch


Carol Cruickshank Vice President, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Practice A.T. Kearney, Inc.
	Carol Cruickshank is a Vice President with A.T. Kearney's Pharmaceutical and Healthcare practice. She has more than12 years of industry and consulting experience serving health care insurers, pharmaceutical and biotech clients. Carol has been instrumental in the firm's effort to investigate the global pharmaceutical research & development outsourcing to reduce costs, increase productivity and enhance shareholder value.

Brian Ellis Senior Vice President, Branded Purchasing Supply Chain Services – Pharmaceutical Cardinal Health, Inc.
	Brian Ellis oversees the purchasing strategy for Cardinal Health’s branded pharmaceuticals business. Named to this position in October 2006, Ellis previously served as Vice President and General Manager for Cardinal Health’s National Logistics Center. Ellis has been with Cardinal Health since 1998 and over that time has served as Vice-President, Finance for Pharmaceutical Distribution; Vice-President, Operations for field facilities located in the upper Midwest and Northeast regions; and various accounting/financial positions in Pharmaceutical Distribution field locations. Before joining Cardinal Health, Ellis held various accounting/financial positions at Fleming Companies, Inc. Ellis is a CPA and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Southern Nazarene University.

John M. Gray President & CEO Healthcare Distribution Management Association
	John M. Gray has served as the President & CEO of HDMA since 2004. In this role, Gray reports directly to the HDMA Board of Directors and is responsible for overseeing all HDMA operations and activities. Prior to joining HDMA, Gray served for eight years as Food Distributor International’s (FDI’s) Executive Vice President and General Counsel. When FDI merged with the Food Marketing Institute, Gray became President and CEO of IFDA, which formed to represent foodservice distributors in 2003. From 1987 to 1994, Gray served as Vice President of Education and as Industry Affairs Counsel for the Grocery Manufacturers of America. Gray holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a JD degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Dr. Alex Kandybin Partner/Vice President Booz Allen Hamilton
	Alexander Kandybin has extensive expertise developing growth and forward-looking strategies, raising returns on investments and building sustainable growth and innovation capabilities for companies in consumer products, healthcare and chemicals industries. Kandybin has been with Booz Allen Hamilton for 11 years. Prior to Booz Allen Hamilton, Kandybin was Vice President, Research & Development, at Arbor Research Corporation with the U.S. Air Force, and also was an Assistant Professor at Moscow Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology. Kandybin his received MBA from The University of Michigan Business School, and his PhD and MS in Chemical Engineering from Moscow Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology.

Dr. Daniel Mahler Vice President, Operations A.T. Kearney, Inc.
	Dr. Daniel Mahler, with over nine years professional experience in the areas of strategy, procurement, merger integration, business process outsourcing and process reengineering, has worked at both the London and Berlin offices of A.T Kearney. He has extensive expertise in a multitude of areas, including complexity management, quality management, services cost reduction and pre- and post-merger integration. During his time at A.T. Kearney, Mahler has been the leader of the CPG global merger integration project, which drove synergies into the value chain, as well as headed a two year integrated product cost reduction initiative, an effort that included collaborative cost reduction and advanced statistical cost analysis techniques. Prior to that, he was the lead manager of another two-year engagement to develop strategy and implement a digital B2B marketplace for one of the world’s largest automotive companies. Mahler received both his PhD and his MA in Media Management from the University of Hanover.

Chris D. Mitiguy Vice President Burlington Drug Company, Inc.
	Chris D. Mitiguy is Vice President of Burlington Drug Company, a regional distributor serving New England, and the Chairman of the HDMA Board of Directors. Burlington Drug has been in the Mitiguy family since the turn of the 20th Century, and Mitiguy has spent his entire professional career as a Burlington Drug employee. Mitiguy was held positions in operations, purchasing and human resources before becoming Vice President. In his current position, Mitiguy manages nearly all departments and serves on the Board of Directors for the company. Mitiguy holds a BA in Business Administration from St. Michael’s College.

Mark W. Parrish CEO of Healthcare Supply Chain Services Cardinal Health, Inc
	Mark W. Parrish is CEO of Cardinal Health’s Healthcare Supply Chain Services, where he oversees Cardinal’s pharmaceutical distribution businesses and pharmacy franchising operations, including Medicine Shoppe International Inc. and Medicap Pharmacies Inc. Parrish previously served as President of Medicine Shoppe, where he oversaw the global operations of the retail pharmacy franchiser. Parrish has been with Cardinal since 1993, and has served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for retail and hospital systems and pharmacy customers, and as Regional Vice President for one of Cardinal Health’s largest pharmaceutical distribution regions. Before joining Cardinal Health, Parrish held management and sales positions at Foxmeyer Health Corp., the General Medical Council, Bergen Brunswig Corp. and The Procter & Gamble Co. Parrish holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

James H. Singer Partner A.T. Kearney, Inc.
	James H. Singer is a Partner and leader of the New York office of A.T. Kearney, Inc., the global management consulting firm. Since joining A.T. Kearney in 1994, Singer has focused primarily on retail and consumer-focused clients. His clients include many top mass merchandisers and specialty apparel retailers. Singer has particular depth of experience in implementing profit improvement programs at large retailers. He has helped transform marketing, G&A, procurement, store operations and global apparel manufacturing operations for several mass merchandisers and specialty apparel retailers.

Linda E. Tarplin Founder Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC
	Linda E. Tarplin has served in senior positions in the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services under two Republican Presidents. Tarplin was Special Assistant for Legislative Affairs to President George H.W. Bush, serving as the White House liaison to the Congress on healthcare issues. Prior to that, she served under both Presidents Bush and Ronald Reagan in both legislative and policy positions in the Department of Health and Human Services. Tarplin also served in the Office of Legislative Affairs as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation, overseeing legislative policies affecting the Department. Before joining the Reagan Administration, Tarplin oversaw healthcare legislation for former Representative Bill Frenzel, a Republican member of the Ways and Means Committee. Later, Tarplin became founding principal of the OB-C Group (founded as O'Brien & Calio), where she built and managed their healthcare practice until the formation of Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC, in January of 2006.