Biotech Star Checked Out Early From Career at Amgen – The Wall Street Journal

In 1989, when she was 34, Kathy Wiltsey appeared headed for one of the top jobs in the biotechnology industry.

That year The Wall Street Journal listed 28 rising stars from around the world, all 45 years old or younger, who could be among the business leaders of tomorrow. Ms. Wiltsey, then marketing director at Amgen Inc., made the list, along with Larry Fink, now chief executive of BlackRock Inc., and Oprah Winfrey.

Instead of soaring into the CEO ranks, Ms. Wiltsey retired from Amgen nine years later, in 1998, the year she turned 43. Her stock options meant she had less need to work, and she wanted to slow down, hang out with her daughters, then ages 5 and 2, and do volunteer work to promote scientific education for children. She hired a bush pilot in Alaska to take her and her daughters to the most remote parts of Denali National Park.

There was another reason for her decision to retire early: Because her mother died of cancer at age 59, she thought her life might be short, too. Her husband, John LaValle, tried to dispel those forebodings.

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Biotech Star Checked Out Early From Career at Amgen - The Wall Street Journal