Juan Fernando Forero Finds New Challenges Even After Three Decades at Pfizer

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The young Juan Fernando Forero had done well at Warner-Lambert, and he had the opportunity to go in one of two directions. He could continue building out experience in the company’s very successful confectionery business, or he could take a chance on the much smaller pharmaceutical organization. The pharma business had a few potentially exciting molecules they were working on, but nothing definitive. Forero elected to forgo the easy path.

“I liked the idea of being better able to contribute to helping people live their lives,” Forero says.
“For as much criticism as the pharmaceutical world may get, it’s one of the only industries that’s investing in itself to help save lives. That’s always appealed to me.”

Forero picked right. In 1996, Warner-Lambert was able to go to market with a promising drug that could help combat high cholesterol. Atorvastatin, under the brand name Lipitor, would go on to become the best-selling pharmaceutical in history. Pfizer would acquire Warner-Lambert in 2000. Forero went right along with the acquisition, and while his roles have changed a dozen times, it’s where he remains today as VP in the global supply chain team.

“I haven’t left, or thought of leaving, because every time I might have had the chance to think about it, I’ve gotten a new assignment to grow into,” the VP says. “It’s always a new way to serve our patients, to help our products get where they need to go, and to be of service to this amazing organization.”

Carly Guenther, Managing Director – Life Sciences Supply Chain & Engineering, Reinvention Partner Lead at Accenture, doesn’t mince words when describing Juan’s impact. “Juan brings a powerful combination of strategic vision and purpose-driven leadership. His focus on patients as the north star has helped shape forward-looking supply chain capabilities that enable Pfizer to deliver critical medicines,” she says, “while inspiring teams to operate with both excellence and impact.”

From Colombia to New Jersey

In 2004, Forero’s work within his native Colombia had caught the attention of Pfizer leadership. He was offered a promotion, but he’d need to relocate his family to the US. To the US-centric mind, this may seem like an easy decision to make, but Forero and his family had a comfortable life. He and his wife had visited a friend in Canada and it had left them a bit cold, literally and figuratively. It was too far from their roots.

But the geopolitical landscape made their decision for them. As instability continued to rise in Colombia, Forero had to think of the family he wanted to raise. Both sides of his own family urged him to go, to take an opportunity that few were granted, and a chance to raise their future children in a safer environment.

Forero’s advice to Latinos moving to the States: Don’t move to New Jersey in January. With a ten-month-old in tow and another on the way, Forero and his family endured a very hard five months in their new home. But they persisted, learning English, building a sense of community, and acclimating to the weather as much as the new country.

When colleagues tell the VP that his wife is the real hero of his story, he readily agrees. “My wife was very successful in her own career and ambitious to pursue her own opportunities. At some point, she decided to focus on our daughters and support me in a role that required me to travel a great deal. If she had taken our daughters back to Colombia to be with our families, I would have understood. But she was, and is, an incredible partner in all things. I remain so grateful to her.”

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Always Challenging

What will keep a successful supply chain executive from leaving?

The first thing the VP will mention is the people he is surrounded by. That goes for Colombia as much as the US. The “friends”—this is the word he uses—are people who push each other to be their best, but always with respect and appreciation.

“Maybe I could have left for a different role, but what guarantee do I have to be surrounded by such great people? I have made some very big decisions to move my family and grow my career, but you come to a point when there are just some things that are not worth sacrificing for anymore. I have made a great career here, and I want to continue to do great things for this place.”

Forero is candid that he’s shot down a fair number of job offers over the years. He just knows of too many people who have jumped from company to company and ultimately wound down their careers feeling unfulfilled. Besides, there’s always a new challenge waiting at Pfizer.

When the company wanted to introduce a lean manufacturing model, Forero jokes that he thought it was a crazy idea. But he jumped in fully committed to the proposition.

“It took three years and so much hard work, and it was very successful,” Forero says proudly. “Those are the kinds of challenges that just keep coming up. I always have something new and exciting to focus on.”

For those just beginning their careers, Forero urges young professionals to spend time figuring out what kind of environment they really thrive in. Stay curious. And keep your family at the center of your decisions. They will be your source of strength. And they are what will continue to keep you fulfilled.

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