Summer 2018 Ideagen "Catalyze" Magazine 1 | Page 22

Ideagen Intersection

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Ideagen Intersection

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George Sifakis:

Welcome to the Ideagen Global Leader Podcast. Today we have with us Alex Gorsky, Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson. Welcome, Alex.

Alex Gorsky:

George, it's great to be here with you this morning.

George:Alex, what originally inspired you to join Johnson & Johnson?

Alex:

Well, George, probably similar to a lot of executives, it was a number of factors that all came together. I had served in the Army for six years active duty after attending West Point. And you know, had asked myself that big question of well, what to do with the rest of my life? And look, I strongly considered staying in the military. I had a good career and was enjoying what I was doing. But I also had other interests. I had interests in healthcare. I had thought actually earlier on in my life of actually perhaps going to medical school. My wife and sisters were nurses, so healthcare was something that was in our family. And I was also I think interested in the idea of business. And so finding an opportunity like Johnson & Johnson, you know, the world's largest healthcare company, and the dynamic healthcare marketplace just ended up being a very good fit.

Alex:

And after interviewing with several other companies in several other industries, you know, what I found I think most important at Johnson & Johnson was a chance to work for a real values-based company. And then so having had the opportunity to really work for the United States military and the Army and then join a company like J&J both really founded on values and a credo was just a great fit for me.

George:

Well, that is really profound on so many levels. The Credo. What does the Credo mean to you?

Alex:

Well, it's a real statement of inspiration and aspiration that's been motivating the employees at Johnson & Johnson for more than 75 years. In fact, this is the 75th anniversary of Our Credo. And beyond being a mission statement that I think almost every major company has in today's environment, the son of our founder, Robert Wood Johnson, Jr., had evolved these concepts about what the purpose and what the responsibility of a business should be to operate, not only in America, but around the globe. And over time, he refined these concepts and really distilled them down to a few critical elements, such as a strong responsibility to the patients and consumers that we serve every day. And was interesting, he actually took it several layers deeper by saying specifically to the mothers and fathers, the doctors and nurses who use our product every day, which he believed and we all continue to believe to this day, resulted in a very special responsibility that we have because of the nature of the work that we do.

Alex:

Secondly, he talked about a responsibility to our employees. And remember, when he was writing this document and bringing these ideas together, it was in the 1930's and 1940's, when relationships between labor and companies,

Evolving, Inspiring, & Engaging

An interview with Alex Gorsky,

CEO of Johnson & Johnson

Alex Gorsky is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson and Chairman of the Executive Committee, the Company’s senior leadership team. Alex is the seventh person to serve as Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson since it became a publicly traded company in 1944.Alex began his Johnson & Johnson career as a sales representative with Janssen Pharmaceuticain 1988. Over the next 15 years, he advanced through positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketingand managementincluding assignments in the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Heprogressed through many management posts at J&J, culminating in being named Chief Executive Officer on April 26, 2012 and Chairman of the Board on December 28, 2012.