How splitting from GSK taught Haleon a spin-off is not a finish line
Brian McNamara took his consumer health group through an independent listing, only to find that it needed fresh energy and new leaders.
Brian McNamara, who spent six years managing the consumer health division behind Advil, Centrum, and Sensodyne before GSK spun it off in 2022, shared his insights on the process and lessons learned. He estimates that splitting off was comparable to running a fifth of his current role as CEO of Haleon. As a standalone company with its own London listing, McNamara had to educate a new board, manage a debt overhang, and make capital allocation decisions across a larger strategic landscape.
He also aimed to instill a performance-focused, consumer-centric culture in a business that had grown under a more cautious pharmaceutical parent company. McNamara noted that the organization felt "quite tired" after its separation and integration efforts. He brought in 13 new members to his leadership team, drawing from leading consumer brands like Procter & Gamble, Estée Lauder, Unilever, and L’Oréal.
After establishing the company's new strategy and defining its ambitions, McNamara is now focused on creating a "truly agile, performance-focused, consumer-centric" company.
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