Poon was raised as one of seven children; her mother was a nurse, and her father a physician. In a 2013 Distinguished Lecture at West Virginia University, she related how early experiences being Chinese in a predominantly white Ohio suburb shaped her character and desire to "...not be the stereotype you saw, but be who I wanted to be."[2] Poon credits her brother for encouraging her to pursue a career at the interface of science and business, which led to her enrollment for an MBA (1982)[3] and eventual employment at BMS in the Strategic Planning function.[2]
Career
Poon worked at Bristol Myers Squibb from 1985 to 2000, advancing to the position of President of the international medicines division.[1] She credited an early role transition from a "line" to a "staff" function - Global Marketing - which exposed her to a more international vision of the pharmaceutical world and prepared her for leadership. She then joined Johnson & Johnson for 8 years, from 2000 to 2008. Major projects during her time included drugs to treat pain, schizophrenia, and HIV.[4]
