Greg Ross
President, North America / Opella North America
Greg Ross, President of North America at Opella, discusses why 2026 will be a pivotal year for the expanding healthcare business following its successful transition from Sanofi.
Since April 2025, Opella, the former Consumer Healthcare business unit of Sanofi, has operated as a standalone, fast-moving consumer healthcare company with a new name and a fresh perspective.
Based in Paris, France, Opella is now the third-largest business worldwide in the over-the-counter (OTC) and vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) market, proudly serving more than half a billion consumers in over 140 countries.
Featuring 100 beloved household brands, Opella’s wide range of products include popular names such as Allegra, Enterogermina, Doliprane, Magne B6, EVE, DulcoLax, Essentiale, Qunol, IcyHot, Cenovis, Buscopan/No Spa, Mucosolvan/Bisolvon, Pharmaton, Dorflex, and Novalgina.
Opella stands out as a bold, non-traditional healthcare company and is proud to be the first global consumer healthcare firm to receive B Corp certification. Its modern, customer-centric, and more sustainable approach to healthcare and self-care has established its strong reputation that continues to grow in 2026.
Pioneering Opella’s Transformation
Greg Ross, President of Opella North America, leads Opella’s operations across the U.S. and Canada from its headquarters in Morristown, NJ. He joined the team in June 2024, at the start of the company’s separation from Sanofi.
Ross tells CEO North America that when he first came on board, one of the biggest opportunities he saw for Opella was in the healthcare industry as a whole, which was stagnant, complicated, and in desperate need of a major wake-up call.
“What inspired me about Opella was its commitment to revolutionize self-care and become the best fast-moving consumer healthcare company in and for the world.”
“I think when you look across all categories, and it’s true regardless of what industry you work in or what region, you have your share takers and your market makers. I think the role that we play within North America is to be a market maker.”
At the time, Ross also appreciated seeing how the company envisioned its future as a standalone business. The transition would require speed, rigor, operational intensity, and effort across all functions, making the journey both exciting and challenging for the new President.
“To carve out from a large pharmaceutical company and establish a standalone, FMCH company requires a massive transformation that goes beyond just systems and processes. It requires a new level of agility and a fundamental change in mindset and company culture.”
Now that the transition is well and truly behind Opella and the company is forging its own path, Ross believes the greatest opportunity in the company’s future is “to embrace our challenger role in the industry and deliver our mission – to put health in your hands by making self-care as simple as it should be.”
Becoming a Market-Maker
Ross believes Opella is a genuine market-maker with promising opportunities in North America. He also says the company can leverage its strengths by showcasing what makes it special.
“We have incredible talent, best-in-class science, and brands that people know and love. It now comes down to serving our consumers, our customers, and our healthcare providers better than anyone else. Healthcare is still too complex and confusing, and delivering solutions that empower consumers to make better choices is going to unlock tremendous growth – for Opella and for the category as a whole.”
Ross also believes the size of Opella can be an advantage. “While Opella is a major player in Consumer Healthcare, we’re still smaller than many of our peers and I see that as an advantage. In many ways, Opella operates like a $5 billion startup. We’re small and agile, but we have the resources of a large company. It’s critical that we lean into that entrepreneurial spirit as we play the role of challenger and drive meaningful change in our industry.”
Being small compared with its competitors makes Opella increasingly able to adapt to the ever-changing market, and for Ross, speed is the key to the company’s success. “Our industry is changing at the speed of TikTok and our ability to keep pace will be our competitive advantage.”
Aligning Market Needs with Organic Growth
When Opella was established as a standalone global consumer healthcare leader, its parent company, Sanofi, maintained a significant stake through a 48.2% equity interest. The rest of the company is owned by Bpifrance with 1.8% and by private investment firm, CD&R, holding the remaining 50.0%.
Since becoming independent, Opella has pursued global organic growth, staying aligned with the company’s broad vision for the future: “To become the best fast-moving consumer health company in and for the world.”
The company operates 13 top-tier manufacturing sites globally and has four specialized centers dedicated to scientific and innovative development. One of its largest centers is situated in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Regarding the region’s medium- to long-term growth plans, Ross tells CEO North America, “When you look at us globally, we’re the number three OTC & VMS player in the world, but we aspire to become number one. Dramatically scaling North America will play a critical role in that ambition.”
A key driver of Opella’s growth is its emphasis on innovation. “If we want to modernize our brands and truly be market makers, we need to 10x our innovation, agility, and speed with superior insights, science, and creativity. All of which must be underpinned by a clear AI and digital strategy.”
“It’s a privilege to have our brands invited into our consumers’ homes. Only by being consumer-obsessed can we earn that invitation.”
Moving forward, Ross is also leaning into operational excellence, not just in marketing or sales, but in terms of how Opella manufactures and supplies its products, for example, at the facility in Tennessee. “We have a best-in-class Manufacturing and Supply team that has become a true competitive advantage for us. In many ways, the passion and the owner’s mindset of the Chattanooga team sets the tone for our entire company.”
Streamlining Opella’s Operations
At the forefront of Opella North America’s manufacturing supply strategy is a digital transformation, which Ross sees his team making tremendous progress in as the company moves forward, “Our transformation is bringing not just efficiencies, but resilience so we can withstand any future shocks that might come to a global supply chain – or isolated local shocks that might occur.”
Despite being a newly formed independent provider, Ross’s team continues to build its resilience and capabilities. “We learned a lot during the global supply crisis a few years back and I believe it made us stronger. We’ve upgraded our systems and capabilities, and I’m proud to say our service levels are now industry best-in-class.”
Ross notes that navigating the complex healthcare landscape is challenging because it’s a constant effort to stay one step ahead of competitors. “As consumer needs evolve, it’s critical that we future-fit our portfolio and how we bring our products to market.”
In the current economic climate, Ross and his team navigate market needs by staying grounded and listening to the customer. “As we navigate the K-shaped economy, it’s paramount that we offer the right sizes at the right price points for our consumers, and bring superior benefits that are worth paying for.”
He sums it up, “We’re just eight months into being a stand-alone company. We’ve made tremendous progress, but there is still a lot of work to do to become the best FMCH company in and for the world. We have an exciting journey ahead and it’s a privilege to lead this team here in North America.”
Making Collaboration Count
A non-negotiable factor in Opella’s success, according to Ross, is assembling the right team. “Ensuring we have individuals with a true enterprise mindset – leaders who can understand where we need to be integrated across the organization and can view the business through the lens of different functions – will be critical to our success.”
In 2026, Ross aims to enable his team to concentrate on five main areas: revitalizing Opella’s brands, adopting operational excellence best practices, strengthening customer partnerships with retailers, enhancing supply chain resilience, and further developing Opella’s sustainability initiatives.
“We need to turbocharge the marketing machine by embedding our brands in culture, moving at the speed of social, and bringing innovation to the forefront.”
“We’re the first consumer healthcare company to achieve global B Corp certification, and for us, there’s a lot of work to maintain that and continue to set the standard in sustainability. That’s another key area of focus we want to bring throughout the organization.”
“We have brands that I think you’ll see really transform as a brand, but also transform within the industry, and hopefully people take away that this is a place where entrepreneurs and those with a desire to make a difference in the world will come.”
What Distinguishes Opella in 2026?
“Our focus in 2026 is the same as every year – to put health in more hands of consumers through novel innovation, clear education, and increased access to our products.”
Ross also believes how the company builds its brands will fundamentally change in 2026. “For many of our consumers, the traditional marketing funnel is dead. Today, consumers can discover a brand, watch a testimonial, read product reviews, and click-to-buy in just one scroll of their social feed. We need to think social-first in how we build our brands, gather our insights, and engage our consumers, and 2026 will be the year we step change those capabilities.”
Overall, Ross sees 2026 as an exciting year for both the company and the entire healthcare industry, which is currently in a state of transformation. “Self-care is going to look dramatically different in 5 years than it does today, and Opella is going to be at the forefront of leading that change.”
He acknowledges, despite many recent breakthroughs, that “We’re lagging as an industry.” However, this creates an opportunity for Opella to step in as the challenger, transforming a boring, complex category into something radically simple and easy to shop. “Something that drives interest and brings a little bit of joy to otherwise stale categories.”
In 2026, Ross and his team are confidently positioned to keep breaking barriers and making self-care as simple and accessible as it should be.
“I don’t think we’ll ever be where we want to be because we’ll keep raising the bar. But at the end of the day, we have the foundation of the brands, the science, and amazing people. Now we’re just going to get out there and make it happen.”
