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Meet Pavan Heda, PhD

Pavan is a full-time student, attending Fridays and Saturdays.

Background

A licensed pharmacist, Pavan Heda has always held an interest in the broader science and business of pharmaceuticals. After earning a bachelor's degree in pharmacy in his native India, Pavan moved to the United States to pursue graduate degrees in Pharmaceutical Science, earning his MS from the University of Toledo and PhD from the University of Maryland. As a graduate research fellow, his work on capsule formulations gave him exposure to several pharmaceutical firms, including Pfizer, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline.

Pavan joined Johnson & Johnson as a research scientist after receiving his PhD in 1998. His responsibilities expanded to Principal Scientist and then R&D Group Leader in J&J's Consumer & Personal Products Worldwide division. When he started EMTM in 2003, he was promoted to Project Manager, leading cross-functional new product launch teams. Recently, he has been promoted again to Portfolio Manager, a position that he will assume shortly.

Why EMTM?

Pavan wanted to be able to contribute to J&J at more strategic levels of the business, with a long-term aspiration of leading a franchise/business unit. "I already had the technical side of product development. Now I wanted to be able to pursue the business and commercial side." Like many other EMTM students, Pavan first thought of a part-time or executive MBA. "I had two main criteria: I wanted to continue to work full-time, and I wanted my degree to be from a top-tier school." As he was considering programs, he heard about EMTM from a recent graduate. "Once I learned more about EMTM, it made sense for me. It's an Ivy League program that combines courses from both Engineering and Wharton."

Benefits to J&J

So far, EMTM has benefited both Pavan and J&J. "I sincerely believe that my enrollment in the EMTM program has played a role in putting my career on a fast track within J&J." Most important, Pavan says, "EMTM has made me more confident to take on new and different responsibilities beyond the technical." He feels that he can now add greater value at higher levels of the organization.

A few examples of specific benefits:

  • As Project Manager, charged with leading cross-functional teams for new product launches, Pavan found Accounting, Decision Models, Finance, Marketing and Operations Management courses "helped me understand and relate better to my cross-functional partners in the firm. Because of my technical background, I could relate easily to issues in operations management and supply chain, but I hadn't had any exposure before to accounting and marketing. EMTM helped me get up to speed more quickly and under-stand what was important to these areas of the teams."

  • Technology courses such as Drug Discovery, Clinical Technology & Innovation, Biotechnology & Medicine, have also broadened knowledge in his own field "Even though I'm from a pharmaceutical background, I'd never had the chance to learn much about biotechnology. This is some-thing I wouldn't have had access to in a regular executive MBA program."

  • Pavan cites the quality of faculty as a particular value of EMTM. "I was surprised at how different the teaching style is. There's a real focus on the big picture. It makes you start thinking in broader terms — on strategy rather than just the details. The details are important, but you can get caught in them if you don't look at the big picture too."

  • Pavan also speaks highly of the Wharton management professor who taught the course Organizational Behavior & Design, which Pavan thought would be a dry subject area, but "turned out to be intriguing and thought provoking." The professor made it interesting through a mix of case studies, video presentations, and class discussion. "I was able to relate very quickly to the organizational redesign process underway at my own company."

  • In his role as Portfolio Manager, Pavan will need to have a handle on both details and big picture. He will be analyzing the pipeline and products within J&J's Consumer and Personal Care Sector, which accounts for approximately $8 billion annually in global sales and 20% of J&J's business. "We will develop ways to consistently analyze development options and investment decisions across various segments and franchises of our business — looking at things like net present value, risk and ROI, etc." While Pavan will be drawing on both his technical knowledge and the analytical frameworks he has acquired throughout his EMTM experience, he expects to make particular use of courses in Corporate Finance, Decision Models and Real Options.



Pavan Heda, PhD
Manager, Portfolio Management
J&J Consumer & Personal Products Worldwide
Skillman, NJ

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