Vice-President of Pharmaceutical Production/Operations

Liz Benuscak

32 Old Schoolhouse Rd, New City, NY10956, (845) 708-9134,

Vice-President of Pharmaceutical Production/Operations

Highly progressive and results-driven Pharmaceutical Production Executive with over 20 years of proven leadership and success developing and implementing specialized operational initiatives to increase efficiency and profitability, while reducing production costs. Demonstrated ability to adeptly identify and analyze complex production and manufacturing problems while creating innovative and effective solutions. Dynamic communicator with strong expertise in developing productive management teams and motivated work forces, capable of meeting and exceeding quality, safety, schedule and cost initiatives.

Areas of Expertise

Spearheading Production Reorganization/ Integration
Process Mapping/Re-Engineering/ Work Standardization
Staff Development and Management
Cross Functional and Interdepartmental Coordination & Leadership
Product Transfers / Complex Capital/Quality Improvement Project LEAN/Kaizen Implementation
Strategic Research, Planning and Implementation of Manufacturing Systems
Manufacturing Executable System (MES)
MRPII and SAP Upgrades
Automating Manufacturing Processes
Governmental Regulations/Inspections

Career Highlights

Reduced operational costs by $40 million in 16 months by spearheading the development and implementation of LEAN Manufacturing to decrease inventory, WIP and cycle time.

Directed a two-year, $3.8 million Automated Electronic Batch Record (Manufacturing Executable System or MES) Project for all solid dosage forms, eliminating paper batch records, reducing human error by 10%, reducing the work force by 16 full-time employees, and increasing regulatory compliance for all batch production.

Directed and implemented a $1.1 million high-speed press project that addressed capacity issues for coated tablet production and lead to the installation of an additional high speed tablet press and Accela Cota (coater).

Initiated the development and design of a $4 million Clean Zone Concept Project for solid dosage forms.

Introduced and instituted a $10.8 million integrated, high-speed sample bottle line (500BPM) project for Novartis product sample portfolio.

Diminished “Change-Over Times” within Manufacturing and Packaging Departments by 35% through process mapping, re-engineering and work standardization.

Recipient of the Business Excellence Award for the BPCS 6.0 Project.

Orchestrated integration of all activities pertaining to transfer of 30 products within 14 months (4 months ahead of schedule) to new facility, including design, construction and start-up.

Created a new and innovative compensation program to implement team-based work groups.

Developed and implemented a Process Improvement Program (PIP) to substantially increase product yields, first-time quality and reduced change-over times.

Liz Benuscak

32 Old Schoolhouse Rd, New City, NY 10956, (845) 708-9134,

Professional Experience

Bling Bling Pharmaceutical Corp., Suffern, NY,
VICE PRESIDENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION, 2000 to Present / 1997 to Present

Direct the North American Production Operations across multiple locations for this $6.5 Billion Fortune 500 Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturing Company, specializing in Solid Dosage, Chemical (API) Production, Semi-Solid and Transdermal Systems (TTS). Successfully manage all Pharmaceutical Production, working with an operating budget of $70 million, and a capital budget of $16 million. 6 Direct Reports and 250 Indirect Reports.

DIRECTOR OF PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION, 1997 to 2000

Responsible for a $35 million manufacturing operations budget with $6 million in capital for all solid dosage forms at Suffern, NY facility. Prepared and implemented cost controls to meet budget parameters and solicited approvals of capital appropriation requests (CARs) to improve and optimize production processes. Recruited, hired, trained and evaluated all production staff; 6 Direct Reports and 122 indirect reports. Company representative for all FDA inspections, responsible for instituting corrective actions when necessary.

Richards Pharmaceutical Corp.,East Hanover, NJ,
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION, 1995 to 1997 / 1984 to 1997

Maintained overall responsibility for manufacturing tablets and capsules, including the management and coordination of departmental activities for 80 associates. Monitored pharmaceutical production to ensure quality standards and compliance with regulatory requirements and internal standards. Reviewed and verified manufacturing process master sheets throughout batch production; developed and oversaw annual departmental budget for operating expenses, capital expenditures and personnel salaries. Evaluated new equipment and technologies for production applications.

MANAGER OF PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION, 1994 to 1995

Managed all facets of encapsulation, tableting, coating / syrup and branding production. Supervised maintenance and assisted in troubleshooting on product and equipment issues. Generated accurate and timely reports on all activities and procedures, ensuring adherence to Federal and OSHA regulations.

MANAGER, 2ND SHIFT, OF PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION, 1993 to 1994

PACKAGING PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR,1989 to 1993

PACKAGING DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER,1987 to 1989

ANALYTICAL CHEMIST, QUALITY ASSURANCE,1984 to 1987

Education • Professional Development

StateUniversity of New York at Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY

B.S. Chemistry

HarvardBusinessSchool

Leadership Program, Finance Program, Management Program

Additional Professional Development

INEOA Controlled Substance Seminar

FDA Inspection Strategy/Systems Inspection/21 CFR Part 11, Project Management, Ergonomics Training, Visual Factory Management Training, Wilson Learning Social Styles, LEAN Manufacturing Education

Computer experience includes Windows XP, Microsoft Office, Lotus Notes (email) and Project

Professional Affiliations

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA),

Drug Product Technical Group (DPTG) Committee Member

American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), Member

Parenteral Drug Association (PDA), Member

Institute of Packaging Professionals (IOPP)

NyackHospital Foundation, Board of Directors