More than just a pretty face

 

In a Her Magazine exclusive GSK New Zealand General Manager, Anna Stove explains how swapping her nurse’s hat for a place in the boardroom has allowed her to provide the best possible healthcare to a nation-wide patient base

Who is Anna Stove?
 

Anna is currently General Manager of GlaxoSmithKline (a position she has held for the past 12mths) and is a commercially astute and inspirational leader. Anna joined GSK in 1990 and has progressed through a variety of local, regional and global roles within New Zealand, Japan and the UK. She has a robust medical/marketing background and has held commercial, sales, research and development roles and has a successful track record in leading and managing business within the pharmaceutical sector. She also has a seven year history as a Trustee (Vice Chairman) for a children’s hospice in London. Born and bred in South Auckland Anna lived what she describes as an ‘idyllic childhood’ on a horse stud with her brother and sister. She went to boarding school at Waikato Diocesan and spent her last year in Japan as an AFS student. After completing a Nursing Diploma she journeyed the path of many young adults venturing overseas on a working OE in her early twenties.

“In a previous life I was a registered nurse,” Anna tells. “I was working in London and returned to New Zealand in 1990 to work for Glaxo (as it was called at the time) as a medical sales representative because I wanted to stay in healthcare, but had had enough of the shift work. I worked through the ranks in sales and product management and then in 1999 was sent on a two year secondment to London to Glaxo’s global division.  Over the next six years I worked in a variety of roles and then left GSK for a Global biotec company as the European Commercial lead for HIV. My ten years in London were fantastic from a career & personal point of view. Every week I was on a plane travelling the world aligning countries with healthcare strategies. In 2009 my mother fell ill and my husband, Kerry and I made the decision to return to New Zealand. In preparation for the move I threw my CV out to companies and GSK took me back on. 

Comparing New Zealand to Europe
Community:
I think of New Zealand as a village. We live in a much more casual, informal society. It doesn’t matter where you go, you’ll bump into someone you know. I feel that within our office especially, you know everyone’s partners and their children.  It’s a wonderfully inclusive environment.
Business:
New Zealand is also much tighter in spending and we’re a lot more innovative in how we can get things done. Because we don’t have the budgets, we do things differently, making us influential to global eyes.
Lifestyle:
We live on a lifestyle block in South Auckland which is very different to the Edwardian Terrace house we had in London! As Kerry spends a lot of his time in Australia, my mornings can start with feeding out hay to cattle, lambing ewes, fixing troughs before donning the corporate outfit and heading into the office. There aren’t many places in the world where corporates get to enjoy this diversity of lifestyle.
Pharmaceuticals:
New Zealand is near the bottom of the pharmaceutical scale on revenue terms but I believe we have amazing healthcare professionals who are world renowned in their fields. Because of New Zealand’s innovativeness and can do attitude, we are beginning to attract more clinical trials.

The face of GSK New Zealand
As General Manager you don’t have a day job. For instance, as the head of marketing or the head of medical you have a very functional day-to-day job of what you need to deliver. In my role, I deal with a small bit of everything. My overall focus is to develop and deliver the business strategies for GSK New Zealand and we do that through a continuous evaluation of healthcare, business and the economic environment.
My day is made up of:
30% external facing with customers
30% developing strategies for GSK New Zealand
The rest of the time (and I believe one of the most important roles) is developing my people
 
Men to women ratio in GSK
GSK Globally is very focused on ensuring that high performing women are considered alongside high performing men as leaders of the future. Out of the seven GSK general managers in AsiaPacific, four are currently female and the SVP of Asia Pacific is also female.
 
The three most important areas you must focus on when working in a global marketplace
The economic environment and constantly looking for opportunities
Developing great talent – leaders of the future
Focusing and delivering on your own priorities
 
How do you treat yourself?
Spa treatments: Having reflexology treatments at Bliss are my absolute favourite. I get so relaxed I have been known to have trouble getting out of the car park and missing the motorway onramp afterwards.
Shoes: if you’re having a fat day – shoes will always be your friend. I love local designers and Kathryn Wilson’s new store in Britomart is great for little treats.
Catching up with girlfriends over wine and lots of laughter – this is a necessity.

Indulging others
In 2012, GSK won a three year vaccine tender with the Fiji Ministry of Health where we are able to supply three key vaccines for Fijian children. My team have enjoyed visiting and educating the people of Fiji on the vaccines. This is such a positive thing to be involved in.
GSK is the founding sponsor of the Youthline 0800 number. Every month 3500-4000 children ring that number every month which, when I look at my Vodafone bill makes me realise what amazing work Youthline does. We have also recently signed up a three year sponsorship with Kidscan charity who provide a raincoat, pair of shoes and a hot meal to children in low-decile schools.
Our staff have access to one orange day each year. This is a day where they are able to go and work on a charitable project of their choice. This opportunity is available to the 100,000 GSK employees worldwide.
 
Anna loves:
Her new 6-star green building located in Britomart, Auckland
“It’s great being part of such a vibrant city. GSK globally is broken into two areas: pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare. New Zealand is unique in that both sectors are based together on the same floor of the same building. This has been great for building on a beneficial collaboration as the customer sees us as one. In other countries the two entities are often located in different cities.”
Coaching
“I have several people that I mentor in New Zealand as well as in the AsiaPacific region. As business leaders it is something we should all be doing more of.”
Her garden
Since returning from the UK this has become a new hobby for me. I find it incredibly therapeutic and love eating things that you have grown organically.
Global Women
I’ve only been a member for six months but I was lucky enough to attend a recent conference in Queenstown and speak on creating a culture of innovation, empowering your people and focusing on the customer rather the digital route. I was blown away by the inspirational women that are part of that group.
 
When was the last time you bought toothpaste?
“Often when products are nearing their used-by-date the staff kitchen table will be a free-for-all, but I am pretty good about buying my own products – all GSK of course.”
 
www.gsk.co.nz