New Chief at VLI to Focus on Consumer Products Line
Growing up in India as the privi leged daughter of a wealthy busi nessman, Mary George knew she was not cut out for the life of an educated but pampered housewife.
“I had a difficult time fitting in there (India),” George said. “Somehow I was always different.”
Indeed. Last Thursday, George, just three weeks shy of her 37th birthday, was named president and chief operating officer of VLI Corp., the Irvine maker of the Today contraceptive sponge and distributor of several other personal care products.
Although not the first woman to lead a publicly traded Orange County company, George certainly is among a mere handful of high-ranking female executives in the county.
George, who had been VLI’s vice president of marketing since early 1984, takes over responsibility for daily operations of the company at a crucial time in its development and amid a swirl of controversy generated by founder Bruce Vorhauer.
Dispute Over Company’s Role
At the heart of the disagreement is a dispute over whether VLI is a consumer products company--as former president, now chairman, Robert Elliot insists--or a pharmaceutical house, as Vorhauer would like.
George, who was hired by Vorhauer, firmly believes the answer is consumer products, and says her job is to firmly stamp that label on the company before its identity crisis hinders growth.
“We must become profitable and we must broaden our consumer product base,” George said of her agenda for the 12-year-old company--which has yet to turn a profit.
Although VLI’s board shares that philosophy, several industry analysts support Vorhauer’s contention that the future of the company lies not in consumer marketing but in its patented technology for the sponge and with the sponge’s potential to deliver treatments to women for sexually transmitted diseases.
In fact, James McCamant, editor of the Medical Technology Newsletter in San Francisco, believes that George’s promotion will accelerate rather than resolve the identity conflict.
The result, he predicts, is an increased chance that the company will be purchased by a large pharmaceutical house as shareholders interested in VLI’s sponge technology are driven away as it increasingly embraces the consumer products market.
Marketing Background
Nevertheless, George was selected as VLI’s second-in-command precisely for her background in consumer product marketing.
After leaving India with an undergraduate degree in English and a masters degree in business administration, George began her career in 1973 at the Young & Rubicam advertising agency in New York as an entry-level assistant account executive assigned to promote Sanka brand decaffeinated coffee.
Two year later, she was promoting vinegar and catsup for H. J. Heinz Co. in Pittsburg. In 1976 she moved to Hunt-Wesson Foods in Fullerton, where she handled Manwich, a prepared meat sandwich filling; Orville Redenbacher popcorn; the Snack Pak line of fruits and puddings, and Hunt catsup.
When George joined VLI in April, 1984, the company was in a deep marketing crisis. Six months after it released the contraceptive sponge, the product was linked to reports of toxic shock syndrome. Although the connection later proved unfounded, the damage was severe. Consultants advised the company to hire a consumer marketing whiz and blitz the media with its message.
Enter George. Although hired by Vorhauer, she soon became a disciple of Elliot, who, in turn, quickly came to admire her marketing abilities.
“Because of her efforts, the Today sponge became the No. 1 selling over-the-counter female contraceptive in the United States,” said VLI’s chief executive officer and newly elected chairman.
In addition, Elliott credits George for guiding VLI’s recent introduction of a pregnancy test kit and the planned unveilings of an ovulation test kit and a line of condoms.
“We felt we should capitalize on the success of the sponge and our name identification with the public by bringing on new consumer products,” George said. “And we are very satisfied with the results.”
Although far from her roots and the life her parents would have dictated for her, George has managed to combine her career with a home life common to many American families. She and her husband, Thomas, a consulting engineer, live in Laguna Hills with their 7- and 12-year-old sons and enjoy an active suburban life style.
As for her parents, George, who has yet to tell them of her promotion, says: “They never wanted me to go into a career, but I think they have finally accepted it. Besides, they are 15,000 miles away.”
