Roger Marchetti has been vice-president for human resources at cardiovascular-device maker Guidant (
GD
) since July, 2002. The Indianapolis-based company is in the process of being acquired by Johnson & Johnson (
JNJ
). Marchetti has also served as vice-president for finance and information systems and vice-president for human resources at Guidant's vascular intervention group, as well as corporate controller and chief accounting officer.
Marchetti recently spoke BusinessWeek Online reporter
Jeffrey Gangemi about the company's MBA recruiting process. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation:
Q: How will the merger between Guidant and Johnson & Johnson affect your MBA recruiting program?
A: We believe the opportunities ahead of us are significant, particularly as we combine with Johnson & Johnson. We expect the merger to create many more opportunities for leadership and many more opportunities for MBAs. The name of Guidant will continue. We will become part of the cardiovascular division of Johnson and Johnson International.
Q: How big is your company, and where can incoming hires expect to work?
A: We have about 12,000 employees overall, but only 120 of them are stationed at our Indianapolis headquarters. The vast majority of our opportunities for MBAs are based in places like Santa Clara, Calif., St. Paul, Minn., Temecula, Calif., and in our field locations throughout the country.
We also are a global organization, operating global sales and distribution networks around the world. We sell our products in over 100 countries. There are many opportunities in Europe, Japan, and the Asia Pacific region.
Q: At which MBA programs do you do the bulk of your recruiting?
A: We have long and fruitful relationships with about a dozen MBA programs in the U.S. We go to
Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business,
University of Michigan Ross School of Business,
Harvard Business School,
Indiana University Kelley School of Business,
University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management,
Stanford Graduate School of Business,
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business,
Babson College Olin School of Business,
Purdue University Krannert School of Management,
UCLA Anderson School of Management,
USC Marshall School of Business, and
Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.
In Europe, we go to
INSEAD, the
London Business School, and
Institute of Management Development (IMD).
Q: What is your philosophy on hiring?
A: Our philosophy has been to hire the best people regardless of concentration. We don't have a defined rotational program, though most Guidant MBAs do go through several rotations and cross-functional moves.
Through our MBA hiring, we are hiring the future leaders of the company. As a result, it's important for them to have different functional experiences that complement their previous work experience and their MBA.
Q: What would a typical track look like?
A: There is no one typical career track for an MBA. Tracks are largely determined by the individual. They often start as field clinical representatives (FCRs), from which they'll transition to a sales representative, have direct customer and patient contact. Then they may come inside for a while and work as a product manager or in market development
When we bring someone in, there's an expectation that, within two to five years, depending on results and prior experience, they will be elevated to the manager level.
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