Joan Eliasek continues to bring success to the healthcare manufacturing and distribution industry.
There’s no slowing down for longtime McKesson Medical-Surgical team member Joan Eliasek. With over three decades of experience in healthcare manufacturing and distribution, she has taken on a new challenge, having recently moved to Toronto to lead McKesson Canada as president of McKesson’s Canadian portfolio of business. “I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to lead McKesson Canada,” she says. “It’s a strong team that is integral to many aspects of healthcare in the country, including pharmaceutical distribution operations, specialty health and McKesson’s network of independent pharmacies (I.D.A., Guardian, Remedy’sRx, The Medicine Shoppe, Uniprix, Proxim, e-commerce retailer Well.ca and Rexall Pharmacy Group). Like McKesson in the United States, McKesson Canada played a central role in the COVID-19 vaccination effort, including administering many of the vaccines through our pharmacy network. I’m motivated by leading an organization that makes such an impact and is improving healthcare every day.”
In fact, this new chapter couldn’t begin at a more exciting time in the industry, she points out. As healthcare manufacturing and distribution continues to evolve, new service models remain a major driver of product innovation. “Digital products and solutions, as well as those designed for ease of use and operating outside of a traditional healthcare setting while being integrated with providers, mean our industry must adapt quickly to these demands,” she explains. Now more than ever before, it’s especially important for her team to be customer-focused to ensure they know who is using their products and how those products are being used.
Eliasek also recognizes the growing importance of Rx products that currently impact McKesson’s product portfolio, as well as its business and operating strategies. “These products have more regulatory requirements and demand quality control rigor beyond that of many traditional medical surgical products,” she says. “Adapting to these changes will impact what our distribution centers look like and the logistical requirements and timelines for delivering with excellence.”
Taking the long view
Eliasak began her career in 1991 at Baxter Healthcare Corporation as a field operations manager. Four years later, she joined General Medical (later McKesson Medical-Surgical) and has progressed through a number of roles since then, each one offering her the opportunity to expand her skills and perspective. These have included: Director of Market Services; Vice President, Strategic Business Services; Vice President, Supplier Management; Senior Vice President, Marketing & Category Management; Senior Vice President, Product Strategy & Supplier Partnerships; and President of Extended Care Sales, where she led her team through four years of successive growth.
Since 2020, she has served as Senior Vice President, Customer Experience, for the McKesson Medical-Surgical business unit, where she has led a team of more than 6,000 employees in operations, customer service, materials management, sales administration and data management. Under her leadership, her team quickly stood up facilities and operations to support the COVID-19 vaccine effort in the United States, assembling kits to support 1.2 billion vaccine doses, investing in new distribution facilities and systems, and updating the business unit’s data platform.
“I have worked with some terrific people over the years who have taught me so much,” says Eliasek. “The time I’ve spent working with suppliers and negotiating contracts has been especially valuable. The ability to work through a tough negotiation and come to a mutually agreeable conclusion is an important skill – not only when working with suppliers, but also with customers. I have also grown in my ability to communicate and set a vision for large groups of people. As the size of the teams I’ve led has increased – from a small group of 15 teammates to a large, multi-layered group of over 6,000 – I have come to appreciate how different it is to communicate with a large group versus a small one that you can connect with on a very personal level.”
Through the years, her relationship with her distributor and manufacturer sales rep partners has evolved as well. “I have worked with many terrific distributor sales reps over the years, as well as great manufacturer reps. At the beginning of my career at McKesson, my roles involved working closely with our sales reps to meet our customers’ goals. They have been consistently creative in their ability to problem solve and meet our customers’ needs. They always put the customer first, and while they are demanding, they remain grateful and always focused on doing what is right for our customers. I was lucky enough to lead McKesson’s Extended Care sales team. It was such a pleasure to see this group solve problems, work proactively with their counterparts and do the right thing to make sure our customers and their patients had what they needed to be successful each and every day. I am so proud to have been a part of that amazing team and cherish the relationships I’ve built with them.”
Boards and awards
Eliasek has served on several boards in the healthcare industry, including Healthcare Industry Distributors Association (HIDA), HIDA Educational Foundation and Global Healthcare Exchange. She has also been a long-time advisor to the Professional Women in Healthcare (PWH) board – a volunteer-led member organization dedicated to providing a national voice and fostering leadership for women in healthcare manufacturing and distribution. In 2018, she was the first recipient of the PWH Anne Eiting Klamar Leadership Award of Distinction.
She joined Professional Women in Healthcare at its start, when it was an idea founded by Cindy Juhas, chief strategy officer, CME Corp., and Anne Klamar, chair of the board of directors, Midmark, she recalls. Within a few years, her involvement in the organization grew when she was asked to serve as an advisor on the board. “I have especially enjoyed watching the organization evolve and impact the many women who have been involved over the years, as well as the healthcare industry itself. I have received as much – if not more – from this organization than I have given to it.
“Over the years, I have recommended to many of my colleagues that they, too, become involved with Professional Women in Healthcare. Networking with, and learning from, so many other professionals and leaders in healthcare has influenced my career in critical ways, and it has been my hope that others benefit similarly. The quality of leadership content and the opportunities for professional development that PWH offers to both women and men in the healthcare industry are simply unmatched. The women who volunteer their time to help run PWH care deeply about the organization’s mission to create an industry that is led equally by women. Their efforts truly drive results, and it’s quite inspiring.
“I was extremely honored to receive the 2018 Anne Eiting Klamar Leadership Award of Distinction. Frankly, to be mentioned in the same breath with Anne Klamar is a tremendous compliment. I have known Anne for many years and deeply respect her, both personally and professionally.”
As Eliasek and her husband, Steve, make the transition from raising teenagers to empty nesters, she looks forward to having more time to contribute to Professional Women in Healthcare, as well as other organizations in the industry, and to mentor others who are newer to the industry. And she is excited to become better acquainted with the city of Toronto, her new team at McKesson Canada and the role she will play in the company’s success.
Sidebar:
Stanton McComb, President, McKesson Medical-Surgical
I have worked with Joan Eliasek for nearly 12 years. Joan has continued to impress throughout the years. She has always been a kind, thoughtful and steady leader. No matter what the role or the challenge is, she maintains poise and delivers excellent results. I am most impressed with her consistent ability to hire, develop and promote great people, as well. We are a better team because of Joan and we could not ask for a better teammate. I am excited to see her continue to grow and do great things for Team McKesson in Canada.