Deirdre Connelly

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Deirdre Connelly is president of U.S. Operations for pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. Appointed president in June 2005, she is also senior vice president of human resources for the company and is a member of the operations committee and senior management council. Previously before her appointment as president, she had been vice president of human resources for pharmaceutical operations since May 2004. In December 2007, she was elected as the fourth female member and first one of Puerto Rican ancestry in the history of Macy's board of directors. With her inclusion, that committee will grow from 10 to 11 members in January, 2008.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Connelly received a bachelor's degree in economics and marketing from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. She graduated from the Harvard University's Advanced Management Program in 2000.

Connelly joined Lilly in 1983 as a sales representative. In 1984, she moved to San Juan as a marketing associate. In 1989, she joined the international management development program at Lilly Corporate Center and later became a sales supervisor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1990, she returned to San Juan as a diabetes product manager. In 1991, Connelly was named national sales manager for the Puerto Rico affiliate and, in 1992, she was named marketing and sales director for Puerto Rico. In 1993, she became director of sales and marketing for the Caribbean Basin Region, including Central America, Puerto Rico, and Caribbean Island countries. She was promoted to general manager for Eli Lilly Puerto Rico, S.A., in 1995.

Connelly returned to the company's Indianapolis headquarters in 1997. From 1997 to 2001, she held the positions of regional sales director, executive director of global marketing for Evista, and team leader for the product team and was promoted to leader of the woman’s health business unit in the U.S. affiliate. In 2003, she became executive director of human resources for the U.S. affiliate.

In October 2006, Connelly was named one of the 50 most powerful women in business by Fortune Magazine. ^[1]

[edit] Honors

During a return visit to Puerto Rico in May 2007, Connelly was the guest of honor at a luncheon hosted by Senate President Kenneth McClintock. In addition to this, a reception in her honor was held by the Legislature's Women's Caucus, co-chaired by Representative Albita Rivera and Senator Lucy Arce and extolled as an example for all Puerto Rican women.^[2]