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Case Study

Zuellig Pharma (C): Taking the next leap

By Katharina Lange, Tawfik Jelassi and Pallivathukkal Cherian Abraham

8 pages

December 2020

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Reference: IMD-7-2242

Case (C) is set in July 2020 when John Graham took over as Zuellig Pharma’s new CEO and he needed to decide how to take the company forward. Prior to that, John Graham had effectively led the company’s Commercial Solutions business. However, as the new CEO he needed to manage the entire portfolio of new solutions businesses and investments in digital startups. Zuellig Pharma had successfully navigated the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. It had benefited from its earlier efforts to increase the robustness of its supply chain as well as the resilience and dedication of its employees. The COVID-19 crisis had accelerated the roll-out of its new e-commerce platform, which allowed for online ordering and cash collection. At the same time, the company had suffered financially because some costs had significantly increased. Zuellig Pharma faced an even more difficult environment with new stakeholders (like patient groups and Ministries of Health) playing a more important role. Given these challenges, its leadership needed to decide how to take the company forward and ensure that it continues to thrive in the future.

Learning Objective

Portfolio management of new businesses: exploration, viability and scaling up.
Risk management for new business.
Transition management and organizational realignment.

Keywords

Strategy, Leadership, Transformation, COVID-19

Settings

South-Eastern Asia, Singapore
Zuellig Pharma, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals
2014 – 2020

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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