“When I went to business school, one of my professors told me the way to be successful in business is to surround yourself with successful people,” says Cheryl Cann-Critchlow. That advice has served her well in the 16 years she’s spent building a reputation as an accomplished marketer in the Canadian pharmaceutical industry.

Yet corporate life wasn’t always on the mind of the Group Product Manager for Boehringer Ingelheim, who graduated with a degree in kinesiology, and once considered becoming a phys-ed teacher. But a university co-op placement as a cardiology technologist provided her with a foot in the door to the healthcare field and some valuable insight into life as a pharma rep. “I would observe the reps coming through the hospital on a daily basis, and hear what the physicians had to say about them, both good and bad,” laughs Cann-Critchlow, who sought the advice of several staff cardiologists before applying for a position at Bayer Healthcare (then Miles Laboratories).

Promptly hired as a sales representative, she was entrusted with five products over the years in a GP sales territory worth $3 million and a $1.5 million hospital territory. Studying for her MBA at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto in the evenings, and making the Dean’s honor list to boot, Cann-Critchlow would also earn the Vice President’s Award for sales excellence in 1991 and 1994. She was subsequently offered a series of market manager positions, including Trasylol, followed by Baycol 0. 2 mg, 0.3 mg, the launch of Baycol 0.4 mg, and the anti-hypertensive therapy Adalat XL.

Adalat came with its own set of challenges, however, after media reports attempted to link calcium channel blockers to several deaths, says Cann-Critchlow. But the XL INSIGHT trial, a large mortality and morbidity trial that demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the drug, turned the brand around. The trial was “a very good learning experience,” and helped re-establish Adalat XL as a $100 million brand. “One of the reasons that Adalat XL did so well is we wanted an aggressive launch campaign for the trial. I treated the launch of the trial like the launch of a drug.”

Her defining moment, however, was a move to Boehringer Ingelheim where as Senior Product Manager, Rheumatology she would help launch Mobicox, a COX II selective. The Mobicox experience is one of the highlights of her career. “We had such a short life cycle and we needed to make the most of this product from a business point of view. I think we rose to meet the challenge.”

Rising through the ranks to District Sales Manager and finally, Group Product Manager, Cann-Critchlow admits ‘I love marketing and I love the culture of Boehringer,” one of the few pharma companies in the world that is still family owned. “It’s such a team effort here, everybody either wins or loses together.”
True to the company culture, and with her professor’s sage advice still ringing in her ears, Cann-Critchlow has learned what it takes to be a leader. Taking the time to explain even the most minute details to a representative or a new product manager pays off in the long run, she says. “If they understand all the intricacies around something that seems simple, like creating a detail aid, they understand the business better, and will hopefully be a better rep, or marketer.” She adds, “It’s your responsibility, not just to hire good people, but to mentor the people you’re with so they can be the best they can be.”   

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