Name: Joanne Bauer
Job Title and Description: President of Kimberly-Clark Health Care, a Kimberly-Clark business that produces products of a variety of medical supplies such as medical exam gloves and surgical packs and gowns, and medical devices such as respiratory care and pain management.
College/Major: Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin for English.
1. What does your current job entail?
Kimberly-Clark Health Care is a global leader in providing supplies and devices to the health care industry and is a division of Kimberly-Clark, one of the largest consumer product companies in the world known for marketing-leading brands like HUGGIES®diapers and KLEENEX® facial tissue.
With more than $1.5 billion dollars in annual sales, and more than 11,000 employees globally, I am proud to lead a business that helps provide the essentials that restore patients from crisis to better health and improve the quality of patients’ lives.
Kimberly-Clark Health Care delivers clinical solutions and education to prevent a wide variety of healthcare-associated infections.
2. What was your first entry-level job and how did you get it?
I began my career with Kimberly-Clark as a Marketing Assistant after graduating from Lawrence University. I started in the Consumer Sector of the company, and was fortunate to be part of the original team that launched the DEPEND® Adult Incontinence Products nationwide.
After that, I held numerous marketing roles across Kimberly-Clark Corporation including a role in the Health Care sector. When I re-joined the Health Care Sector in 1997, I led the integration of its first major acquisition, Tecnol Medical Products. In 2001, I became President of the Health Care sector.
3. What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
I am always amazed at how complex the healthcare system is, particularly in the United States. Many parts of the system are incented or rewarded for providing treatment, rather than offering prevention techniques or methods. This ultimately adds extra cost into the system.
4. Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
There isn’t just one single person. I have had the good fortune to work with many great people through the years, who have had positive influence in different ways.
5. What is the best part of your job?
I am fortunate to spend every day in an industry committed to saving lives, and within a company that works tirelessly to provide the essentials that restore patients from crisis to better health around the world.
6. What do you look for when considering hiring someone?
I look for several attributes – taking responsibility to exceed results, breadth of experience including international experience, and proof that the individual can think about a problem and form a viable solution.
7. What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
First and foremost, I would tell them to be sure they are doing something they love! If not, choose something else. Second, look for opportunities that will give you a broad base of experience within a given field. Finally, focus on going above what is required and constantly work to over-deliver results.
8. What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
Again, love what you do or do something else. Don’t be afraid of taking smart risks; treat everyone with respect; and do your best – all basic things my parents taught me. They still hold true today because they work.
Additionally, have a global mindset. Mid-way through my career, I began traveling around the globe and it has impacted me immensely. I was so inspired by what I saw and experienced during these travels that I subsequently required my children to live abroad during college. I wanted them to appreciate and experience the vibrancy and diversity in other cultures. I would strongly suggest and encourage travel abroad both for personal enrichment and professional development.
9. Being a Lawrence alum, what do you find most useful about a degree from a small liberal arts college like Lawrence?
The longer I’ve worked in the business world, the more I have come to value a liberal arts education. It has given me a broad base of knowledge that I draw upon every day.