Derica W. Rice joined Eli Lilly and Company in 1990 as an international treasury associate. He has held various assignments, including executive director and chief financial officer for European operations based in London, and general manager of Lilly United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. He was promoted to executive vice president, global services and chief financial officer on January 1, 2010. Rice is also a member of the company’s executive committee.
Being chief financial officer affords variety for Rice. “My role goes beyond compliance. I am responsible for ensuring the integrity of our financial information and leading Lilly in fulfilling promises we make to investors. That means I am modeling and demanding the highest standards of integrity and transparency throughout our organization.”
Rice’s other responsibilities involve having a strategic role in the company’s financial leadership, setting goals and objectives and understanding that Lilly’s financial strategy is irrevocably linked to their business strategy.
Along his journey to success, Rice’s mother, Inez, has been his biggest inspiration. He shares that his family provides him with a good source of balance. Rice wants his legacy to be that he contributed more than he received and to striving to achieve their own greatness, he offers these words of encouragement: “Follow your passion in life because in doing so the journey will be more pleasurable.”
Congratulations, Mr. Rice, for being a “BlackDoctor.org Top Blacks in Healthcare” 2014 honoree!