Former Bayer executive wins CHPA award

WASHINGTON — The former president of Bayer HealthCare's Worldwide Consumer Care Division has won a lifetime-achievement award from a trade group focused on the OTC industry.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association announced that it gave its Ivan D. Combe Lifetime Achievement Award to Gary Balkema at its annual executive conference in Naples, Fla.

Left to right: CHPA president and CEO Scott Melville; Gary Balkema; Jen Balkema; Rob Balkema; Donna Balkema; CHPA chairman Paul Sturman

"Gary's commitment to the OTC industry was so great that in addition to his Bayer responsibilities, he served as chairman of CHPA from 1997 to 1999, leading the association with steadiness, pragmatism and balance," CHPA president and CEO Scott Melville said.

The organization noted that Balkema grew Bayer's consumer care division from one focused regionally to a global one, quintupling sales and expanding operations to 140 countries, reversing a decline in sales following the acquisition of Sterling and helping make Bayer the second largest OTC company in the world.