Barbara L. Sparks was the recipient of a Wharton Director's Scholarship, resulting in paid full tuition for her MBA program in finance.
MULLICA HILL, NJ, April 17, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Barbara Sparks with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Ms. Sparks celebrates nearly 40 years' professional experience including 30 years in corporate financial and operations management in the pharmaceutical industry. She has been noted for individual and team development, leadership qualities, mentoring, and successes in her field. As in all Marquis who's who biographical volumes, individuals are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1970. She began her career as a relocation planner for Federally assisted Urban Development and Model Cities programs with the Philadelphia Regional Office of the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) from 1970 to 1974. While employed by HUD, in July 1972, she volunteered to direct the Temporary Housing Office for the Hurricane Agnes Flood victims in Montgomery and Philadelphia counties (pre-FEMA). Along with other Pennsylvania volunteers she was recognized by the Executive Office of the President for housing local flood victims (300 families and individuals) ahead of schedule. After being offered a full tuition Director's Scholarship to the Wharton Graduate Division of the University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Sparks concluded her formal studies from 1973¬75 and received a Master of Business Administration in finance, with Distinction. The scholarship was earned through management consulting assignments supporting the operations of the school's Director.
Ms. Sparks excelled as a financial analyst for CertainTeed Corporation's Shelter Materials Group from 1975-77 until Saint Gobain (France) purchased a controlling interest in the company. The Wharton School was recruiting for the bankruptcy judge for the re-organizing Penn Central Railroad and Ms. Sparks accepted an offer to join that temporary team (the judge's acceptance of the re-organization plan would end the job) as a senior financial analyst. Her 30-year management career in the pharmaceutical industry would begin at the end of 1977 when she accepted an offer to be a marketing financial analyst for SmithKline's (now Glaxo SmithKline) wholly owned consumer division, Menley & James. Over the next 13 years, management development positions were held in national sales, market research and new products development. This experience proved invaluable when she became sr. financial analyst for domestic brands and then controller for international operations plus research and development (including global financial and marketing control for the Tagamet Rx to OTC switch). Senior management relied on her keen editing skills for subsidiary corporate financial reporting. Her approach for developing corporate management interns using written objectives was adopted as the model to be followed by all intern managers.
When Beecham acquired SmithKline in 1990, Ms. Sparks started her own company, Sparks Consulting, Business Financial Planning, which lead to projects with health related companies until she was recruited to become director of global budgeting, forecasting and strategic planning with Kodak's Sterling Winthrop Pharmaceutical Research Division, in Malvern and Collegeville, Pennsylvania. There were over 50 compounds in development for therapeutics, oncology and diagnostic imaging plus 100s of new compounds which required financial planning and reporting. This position included membership on the financial management committee for the alliance with Bristol Myers Squibb and Sanofi which met throughout the year in France and the US. Plavix was the most successful compound/product to come out of this alliance. When Kodak sold Sterling Winthrop to Sanofi, Ms. Sparks (who speaks French) was offered the opportunity to exchange places with a Sanofi director in France. Personal obligations required her to decline the offer and return to consulting in the U.S.
In late 1998, Cephalon, Inc., a biotech company, received FDA approval for its first prescription drug, Provigil, and needed experienced staffing for financial reporting and management of its commercial operations to distribute this newly approved controlled substance. Ms. Sparks was hired for this launch and, through a third party logistics provider, was responsible for inventory, customer service, order entry, shipping, invoicing, accounts receivable, contract chargebacks and all of the software to support the business. Income from product sales was new for the company so she was also responsible for financial reporting and Federal quarterly average price reporting for Medicaid and VA. By 2008, when she retired, the drugs under management had grown to 10 globally distributed products about half of which were controlled substances. In 2011, Cephalon became a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.
Facing financial struggles at an early age, Ms. Sparks decided when she was young to go to college and pursue professional success-opportunities that her parents should have had but did not. Her parents owned and managed a conglomeration of businesses which were centered around a gas station and mini market where all family members worked. Ms. Sparks credits this experience for developing strong interpersonal skills. She is currently celebrated for nearly four decades in corporate financial management, notably developing individuals as well as teams in her professional endeavors. Staff and team members described her as demanding with high standards but fair. Impressively, she was the recipient of a Wharton Director's Scholarship, resulting in paid full tuition for her MBA program in finance. Likewise, Ms. Sparks was selected for inclusion in the 54th edition of Who's Who in America as well as the 27th edition of Who's Who in the East.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to her profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Ms. Sparks has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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