Two Top Executives Named to BU Boards

Christine A. Poon, one of the nation’s top pharmaceutical industry executives, and Lucy Landesman Halperin, the first female president of Tee Pee Olives/Italica Imports, were appointed to University leadership positions at the Board of Trustees meeting in December, according to chair Robert A. Knox. Poon will join the Board of Trustees and Halperin the Board of Overseers.

“Chris Poon and Lucy Halperin are outstanding executives who bring keen business acumen and extraordinary experience in international and domestic commerce to the Boards of Trustees and Overseers,” says Knox (CAS’74, GSM’75). “We look forward to working with them to meet the remarkable challenges and opportunities that face the University in the months and years ahead.”

Poon (GSM’83) is currently vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s board of directors and worldwide chairman of its Pharmaceuticals Group. She began her career with Johnson & Johnson in 2000 as company group chair for pharmaceuticals. In 2001, she was promoted to the executive committee and named worldwide chairman, pharmaceuticals. In 2003, she was appointed worldwide chairman, medicines and nutritionals. She was elected to the Johnson & Johnson board of directors and named a vice chairman of the board in 2005.

Johnson & Johnson’s global Pharmaceuticals Group is ranked among the top industry leaders and in 2008 was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired company in the pharmaceutical industry sector. Headquartered in New Brunswick, N.J., Johnson & Johnson reported sales of $61.1 billion in 2007 and currently employs more than 120,000 people.

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Poon spent 15 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where she held several leadership positions, including president of international medicines and president of medical devices. She earned a B.S. in biology from Northwestern University in 1973, an M.S. in biology and biochemistry from St. Louis University in 1976, and an MBA with a concentration in finance at BU’s Graduate School of Management. In September 2008, Poon announced her retirement from Johnson & Johnson, effective March 1, 2009. She has since been named dean of Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.

Halperin (CGS’75, SMG’77) is the sole owner and first female president of Tee Pee Olives/Italica Imports, a third-generation family-owned business with over 70 years of experience in packing and distributing olives and olive oil. Tee Pee Olives is the largest domestic packer of Spanish green olives in the United States. Since assuming the presidency of Tee Pee Olives/Italica Imports, Halperin has been credited with invigorating the company’s brands through research and development and the introduction of health-conscious and organic products.

Halperin serves as trustee of the Richard E. Halperin Memorial Fund, which has awarded grants to numerous organizations, including Rye Country Day School, Citizens Budget Committee, American Friends of the Hebrew University, and the Jewish Community Center of Harrison, New York. She has also supported the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the New York Presbyterian Hospital, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, the Fresh Air Fund, and Cornell University’s Weill Medical College.

Halperin’s late husband, Richard Halperin (CGS’74, COM’76), was the chief operating officer of the Quellos Group LLC, an investment management firm. He was the recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of General Studies and served on the College of Communication Dean’s Advisory Board.

Halperin lives in Harrison, N.Y., with her four children, Ross, Robert, Steven, and Kenneth.