In the Life of Vincent Genn

Project Manager, Marketing Solutions

Overview

Vincent joined Rosetta's Marketing Solutions group (then SimStar) in November of 2004 as a Project Manager quickly taking over delivery responsibility for several brands for a large Pharma account.  Vincent's experiences have ranged from managing singular Web-based projects to highly integrated CRM programs. Vincent also works with senior management in a leadership role to improve and streamline the reporting function for the entire Project Management Office (PM).

I was initially assigned to 2 pharma brands: (1) a key treatment for mild to moderate Alzheimer's―a co-promote shared by two pharma clients and (2) an adjunctive epilepsy therapy with a Web site featuring a strong lifestyle component.  It didn't take long to learn that the key to being a successful PM at Rosetta is multi-tasking!

Both of my new brands were in full swing, with Web site redesigns in progress, new banner ads slated to begin production, and search engine text ads in the works. Plus, all of the "regular" Web site maintenance needs required my attention. There was no time for a slow ramp-up, so I hit the ground running. Eventually, with regular trips to the Director of PMO's office for guidance, I figured it all out. 

Leveraging my years of experience in New York ad agencies and as a Web site developer, I immersed myself in the SABRE (Scope, Architect, Build, Release, Evolve) process.  A PM has to interact with people in each department, coordinating their work to ensure delivery of the high quality work our clients expect.  I soon learned that all a PM at Rosetta has to do to be successful is make sure everything gets done on time, on budget, and to the satisfaction of not just the clients, but their Legal and Regulatory groups.  Easy, right?

Before long, things got really exciting. Add to the previous mix of clients an international pharma company with plans to design an International and Domestic Oncology Portal. This Portal was slated to include a brand template that would be used for three international drugs, and possibly more, in the future.  If you're keeping track, we're now at three brands, each with demanding timelines and different internal teams.  One of the main challenges on the new Oncology project was that our two clients were in different countries and different time zones. This is where it gets tricky, so pay attention: if I were in Hamilton, NJ, the US client was in Seattle, and the international client was in Berlin, what time would be most convenient for everyone? 

I was always asking myself when scheduling meetings: "If it is 3 pm here and noon in Seattle, what time is it in Berlin?" Utilizing every communication tool available to me (e-mail, conference calls, FTP sites, video conferencing, and some old-school face-to-face meetings), we were able to get the sites designed and approved. The team really amazed me with their work.  The designs were within the corporate guidelines set forth by the client and interesting enough to provide the differentiation the clients wanted for their organization in the online Oncology space.

These days, I split my day between work for the Alzheimer's drug and a major Rewards program for a non-surgical cosmetic product.  The main focus of the Rewards program is a debit card that provides discounts for returning to your physician for additional treatments. Through this project, my daily working contacts have expanded to include financial and database vendors. 

Being a Project Manager allows me to work with every department in the organization.  It is always fast-paced, exciting, and challenging. I am proud of the work we produce and I can't think of anything else I'd rather do.