Wednesday, February 15, 2023
To Gloria and the wonderful Uribe family:
José was my first boss when I joined Sandoz back in 1981. He was brilliant, hard working and compassionate with a great sense of humor. His talent was recognized by our company’s new president, Max Link, and thus he became part of a small cadre of people charged with invigorating what had become a stagnant company with relatively grim prospects for the future. As José’s single direct report, I had a ring-side seat as we plotted steps to take to reinvigorate several stagnant brands.
I learned so much from José. José thought big. His mind was always exploring opportunities for us to grow. And he could see opportunities where others would only see barrenness. Forty years ago we dreamed of turning Sandoz into a pure play pharmaceuticals company. It is vindicating to see that today Novartis, Sandoz’s successor, is finally implementing that vision.
I was heartbroken to learn of the crippling accident that left him wheelchair bound. And then I saw how the whole Uribe clan rallied to provide support for José. It is no surprise to me that he survived —even thrived — during these last 27 years. I remember during one visit José described himself as the luckiest person in the world. Gloria, that is a tribute to you and your wonderful children.
José was a light in this world. He will be missed!
