2009 RSA-sponsored SCRIP Award Presented to Novartis

RSA sponsored the Management Team of the Year category at the 2009 annual Scrip Awards ceremony, won by the Executive Committee at Novartis. Scrip World Pharmaceutical News hosted the event at London's Grosvenor House Hotel which attracted more than 600 guests from the pharmaceutical industry and beyond. The awards aim to acknowledge and celebrate leaders in pharmaceutical, biotech and allied industries.

The Management Team of the Year award is open to teams across all levels of business from top tier to operations as well internal projects. Out of the five companies shortlisted, the 17-strong Executive Committee at Novartis was chosen due to their ongoing commitment to improving efficiency. Headed by Dr Daniel Vasella (last year's Executive of the Year), the team exceeded their 2009 cost-savings goal of $1.3 billion through their highly publicised 'Forward' initiative.

The Scrip Awards are voted for by a panel of esteemed judges from the pharmaceutical industry worldwide. The criteria for this particular award included: strong performance across a number of business elements; financial probity; and good communication of a shared vision. Other companies shortlisted for this award included Archimedes Pharma, Asterand, BioInvent and Oxford BioMedica.

RSA CEO Nick Stephens said, "The Scrip Awards are an important part of the pharmaceutical industry's year and we are delighted to provide ongoing support of the event, particularly in recognition of outstanding management capabilities. The Novartis team are well deserved recipients of this award given their continued investment and commitment to improving efficiency."