Brian McNamara spent six years running the group behind Advil, Centrum, and Sensodyne before GSK spun off its consumer health division in 2022.
asserted
GSK → spend → 2022
Perhaps a fifth of that job is comparable to what his role is now, as CEO of Haleon, he estimates, such was the difference in responsibilities.
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difference → estimate → responsibilities
As CEO of a standalone company with its own London listing, he needed to educate a new board, manage a debt overhang, and make capital allocation decisions across a far bigger strategic playing field than the one that had been open to him under his former parent company.
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that → need → company
McNamara also wanted to create a performance-focused, consumer-centric drive in a business that had grown up under the umbrella of a more cautious pharmaceutical company.
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that → want → company
But he discovered that “the organization was quite tired” after its efforts to separate the company from GSK, and before that, to integrate two large mergers.
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organization → discover → mergers
“The team that took us through separation did a phenomenal job,” McNamara says, but he concluded that he needed to bring in new skills and energy.
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he → take → skills
His response was to change 13 members of his 15-strong leadership team, bringing in fresh talent from leading consumer brand companies like Procter & Gamble, Estée Lauder, Unilever, and L’Oréal.
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response → change → Procter
With the initial sprint to define a new company and strategy behind him, here’s how he describes the lessons from its spin-off, and why you shouldn’t see such a milestone as a finish line.
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you → define → line
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
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interview → edit → clarity
How do you think about this moment in the story?
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you → think → story
I think about the journey of the company in phases.
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I → think → phases
Phase one was to separate, build all the corporate functions, and deal with our leverage.
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Phase → separate → leverage
At about the two-year mark, we got through all that.
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we → get → that
Then the next phase was laying out the new strategy, with our ambitions of reaching a billion more consumers and delivering industry-leading shareholder returns.
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phase → lay → returns
Now, the last phase for me is to create a truly agile, performance-focused, consumer-centric company.
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phase → create → company
What was the culture you inherited?
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you → inherit → ?
And what are you trying to do with it?
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you → try → it
I joined GSK in 2015 through its Novartis joint venture, but we spent three years integrating that business.
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we → join → business
Then we announced the next deal, with Pfizer, and spent two years integrating that business.
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we → announce → business
Then we spent a year separating [from GSK], and then we had to stand up [Haleon as a new] company.
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we → spend → company
These are all incredibly internally focused things.
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These → focus → ?
So we needed to step back from that and create the right external focus and the right growth mindset and the right performance culture.
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we → need → focus
What’s changed in your own leadership role?
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What → change → role
I ran this business for six years as a division of GSK.
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I → run → GSK
I think there was maybe 20% of that role that was the same.
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that → think → role
It’s that big a difference.
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It → ’ → ?
[Other CEOs] would talk to me about what it’s like to be a listed company CEO.
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it → talk → what
And to a person, they said, “Listen, Brian, logically, we can tell you.
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we → say → you
But until you’re in the seat, you really won’t understand it.”
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you → ’re → it
I had a fantastic board, but they were relatively new to the business, so they needed to be educated on it.
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they → have → it
Despite all our efforts to separate and have everything set up the way we wanted to, these things are hard and they’re a little messy, so we needed to make some changes.
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we → separate → changes
The other change was my external role, ensuring that I’m staying current on technology changes and what’s happening geopolitically, and talking with other CEOs on how they’re navigating these situations.
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they → ensure → situations
I found people are extremely generous with their time.
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people → find → time
When you’re in that kind of role, it’s a unique place to be, and you need a different kind of support and advice.
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you → ’re → support
You said the organization was quite tired.
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organization → say → ?
What have you learned about injecting energy at those moments?
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you → learn → moments
As we moved to separation, I think a lot of people viewed it as the end, like we were getting to the finish line.
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we → move → line
And, by the way, they probably had an unrealistic view of how great it was going to be as our own company.
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it → have → company
I was the division head for 21 quarters, and I got maybe 10 questions [on GSK analyst calls] over those 21 quarters, so we were a bit protected by the umbrella of GSK.
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we → get → GSK
If I could do it over again, I might change a bit of the messaging for people going into this.
uncertain
I → do → this
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
