Ascendis Health
Emma De Beer started their career in 2005 with Old Mutual South Africa, where they completed a Graduate Program from January 2005 to November 2008. Emma then joined Hero Design and Advertising in December 2008 as a Business Development Manager, responsible for client service, building new business relationships, and strategy development until June 2012.
In July 2012, Emma De Beer joined Ascendis Health as a Senior Brand Manager. Emma worked in this role until May 2017, focusing on brand development and growth for clients. Subsequently, they became the Marketing Manager at Ascendis Health from May 2017 to March 2021. Emma then transitioned to the role of Head of Marketing in March 2021.
In addition to their role at Ascendis Health, Emma also worked as a Marketing Manager at Ascendis Health (Pharma) starting in March 2018.
Emma De Beer attended the University of Johannesburg from 2001 to 2004, where they obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree in Law and Economics. Emma has also obtained several certifications, including Managerial Economics from LinkedIn in January 2021, Marketing Foundations from LinkedIn in December 2019, Strategic Thinking from LinkedIn in December 2019, and Finance for Non-Financial Managers from LinkedIn in October 2019.
Ascendis Health
Background Ascendis Health is a health and wellness company founded in 2008 and listed in the healthcare sector of the JSE in November 2013. In 2015, the Group embarked on an international growth strategy and acquired four businesses in Europe: Farmalider in Spain (2015), Remedica in Cyprus (2016), Scitec in Hungary (2016) and Sunwave Pharma in Romania (2017). Today Ascendis Health has a global reach with well-known brands and products sold to more than 120 countries across all continents. Strategic focus Against a backdrop of too much debt and limited operational flexibility we have set out a three-pillar strategy with the following focus areas: Pillar1: Stabilise (‘Fix the balance sheet’) • Set the medium-term portfolio strategy – which companies we should keep and which we should sell • Restructure existing debt to match the long-term portfolio strategy • Introduce sufficient new money to restore operational flexibility and ability to execute ‘Optimise’ Pillar Pillar 2: Optimise (‘Right-size and create platform businesses’) • Set the operating model to align with portfolio strategy and reduce complexity • Implement Project Office discipline to drive efficiencies, capital allocation optimization, and margin management strategies in each Business Unit • Create Business Unit specific incentivization programs and develop owner-manager mindsets Pillar 3: Grow (‘Maximise value and grow the platforms’) • Deleveraging strategy to take onto account the interim cash conversion profiles of the underlying business • Remain flexible to access attractive market windows • Deploy capital to underpin steady state portfolio