Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> March 3, 2000
ROBERT C. STRAUSS joined Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in December 1997 as
President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Noven, Mr.
Strauss was most noted for his work as President, Chief Executive
Officer and Chairman of Cordis Corporation, a publicly traded medical
device company based in Miami, Florida. He was instrumental in the
strategic development of that company, and under his leadership revenues
increased from $100 million to $500 million. Cordis was acquired by
Johnson & Johnson in February 1996 in a stock-for-stock transaction
valued at $1.8 billion. After leaving Cordis, Mr. Strauss joined IVAX
Corporation as its President and Chief Operating Officer to help
structure a re-engineering of this multinational branded and generic
pharmaceutical company. During his brief tenure, IVAX successfully
divested non-core operations constituting approximately 40% of its
business, and paid off a $350 million credit facility. Having earned
undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics, Mr. Strauss began his
career with technical positions at Eastman Kodak and later, General
Electric. Shifting focus, Mr. Strauss joined the management consulting
arm of Touche-Ross and Company, Philadelphia, where from 1973 to 1979 he
focused extensively on health care and the manufacturing industries.
Following his service at Touche-Ross, he joined the management team at
Food Fair, Inc. that orchestrated the national food distribution
company's successful emergence from Chapter 11. He served as Senior Vice
President with responsibilities for financial management, strategic
planning and select operations. He left the rejuvenated company in 1983
to join Cordis as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr.
Strauss serves as a Director of Columbia Laboratories, Inc.
(pharmaceuticals), Eclipse Surgical Technologies, Inc. (medical devices)
and Percardia, Inc. (medical devices), and serves on the Board of
Trustees for the University of Miami. Mr. Strauss also devotes
substantial personal time to many civic duties, including the United Way
of Miami-Dade County. Profile
Mr. Strauss: Noven is a leading developer and manufacturer of
transdermal and transmucosal drug delivery technologies and products. We
were
