Hartman Executive Advisors partnered with a global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer formed through a large-scale merger, operating across more than 70 countries with approximately 36,000 employees worldwide. With annual revenues in the $17–18B range, the organization supports a broad portfolio of branded and generic products across highly regulated markets.
At the time of engagement, the company was still early in its post-merger lifecycle and navigating leadership change, global expansion, and increased scrutiny around governance, accountability, and performance.
The Challenge
With global operations and increasing complexity, there was a need for greater clarity around IT effectiveness, including decision-making and readiness to support future growth. Leadership recognized the need to strengthen technology leadership, governance, and alignment with the company’s operating model.
Key challenges included:
- Limited visibility into IT performance, maturity, and effectiveness across regions
- Fragmented governance and operating practices in a globally distributed environment
- The need to move toward more harmonized, global systems and standards
- Unclear alignment between technology leadership and executive expectations for IT
- The importance of reinforcing executive and Board confidence in IT oversight and direction
The Solution
Hartman Executive Advisors was engaged to provide senior IT leadership and advisory support during a period of organizational transition. The engagement focused on setting up the IT organization for long-term success – structurally, operationally, and strategically – while aligning technology leadership with the company’s evolving operating model.
Hartman’s role included:
- Designing an IT organizational structure and operating model aligned to global scale and business priorities
- Establishing clearer governance, decision rights, and accountability across regions
- Guiding the transition toward more streamlined global systems and standards
- Supporting executive leadership in aligning expectations for what IT should be, and how it should engage the business
- Elevating IT’s role within the organization, ensuring it had a seat at the executive table
- Serving as a trusted executive partner in communicating and reinforcing this structure with senior leadership and the Board
Hartman also provided coaching and executive support to strengthen IT leadership presence, visibility, and confidence, ultimately helping leadership grow into a more effective enterprise role while navigating a complex political and organizational environment.
The Results
The organization moved beyond post-merger uncertainty, strengthened its technology leadership posture, and positioned IT as a strategic enabler of global growth and long-term value creation.
IT Role Clarity and Operating Model Alignment
Greater clarity and alignment around IT’s role, structure, and future-state operating model
Executive Confidence in Technology Leadership
Improved executive confidence in technology leadership, governance, and oversight
Reduced Organizational and Execution Risk
Reduced organizational and execution risk during a period of leadership and structural change
Scalable Global Technology Foundation
Clearer path toward scalable, global systems to support emerging markets
Executive and Board-Level IT Leadership Visibility
Elevated visibility and credibility of IT leadership at the executive and Board levels
