J. Martin Jernigan, Novo Nordisk

J. Martin Jernigan

Associate VP, Liraglutide launch, Novo Nordisk

FIRST DRUG HE DETAILED: Cardizem

PARENTS' JOBS: Minister, Teacher

J &J is the type of company that spends a lot of time thinking about leadership. It was there that J. Martin Jernigan, as head of new business development, learned his own personal leadership style. "I'm much more the cultivator, the grower, the facilitator," he says. "I believe in the servant role of leadership—how can I help you to get your job done? You get better results that way."

This isn't news to anyone who knows Jernigan. While heading new product commercialization for Aventis, he helped create massive, cross-functional, matrix-based teams that offered new ways to bridge science and business. At Novo, his responsibilities have changed, but he's still growing teams and cultivating change. Since joining in 2006, Jernigan has implemented a strategic planning process for the US and is now charged with launching the highly anticipated diabetes drug, liraglutide. "It's challenging from a developmental perspective because it is more of a general manager role. But really, we are just one big team preparing for launch."