Alaix began his career in finance and then spent years running
businesses within large pharmaceutical companies. He was heading the
animal health division at Pfizer when the company decided to spin off
the division in an IPO and make him the CEO. Alaix knew that
sophisticated external communication skills would be especially
important in the months leading up to the IPO: He would be telling the
company's story to analysts and potential investors, and their opinion
of its strategy would have a direct impact on the value of the stock
offering. He had about two years in which to pursue an aggressive
training program and gain the skills he hadn't previously developed.
Working with the HR department, he defined a development plan and then
identified a mentor--the former CEO of a big European company. He used
two communications trainers to help him hone his message and sharpen his
delivery--and then practiced for interviews and road show pitches over
and over again. Finally, he met monthly with Pfizer executives and
internal board members to learn the art of dealing with directors. The
article includes a Q&A with Nancy Duarte, a leading presentations
expert.