Gloria R. Samuels, 2009 Honoree
- Title
- Vice president, information systems
- Employer
- Amgen Inc.
- Location
- Thousand Oaks, , Calif.
- First job:
- "Lifeguard."
- Best mentoring relationship:
- "I have many. My best are the unofficial mentoring relationships that are grown spontaneously."
- Passion outside of work:
- "My family. I am a business leader, a mother and a wife."
- What's in your MP3 player?
- "My workout music. I work out every morning at 4:30 a.m. to stay balanced."
- Favorite book:
- "Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born, by Jamie Lee Curtis. It's a children's book about adoption that I read over and over to my two beautiful adopted children."
- What about you would surprise the people you work with?
- "My husband and I grew up across the street from each other -- but we didn't marry until I was in my mid-30s."
- Leadership philosophy in a nutshell:
- "Do the right thing. Be comfortable operating at different altitudes. Believe in your people, and ensure they are set up to succeed. And always model the behavior you expect of others."
- "Aha" leadership moment:
- "In wrapping up a 33-month ERP program, where people worked incredibly hard and we delivered what outside experts told us should have taken 48 to 60 months, I was pleasantly surprised to see an overwhelming number of staff wanting to re-up. They believed