Pfizer Inc. Leaders, Founders, and Executives: Who Are They?
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Pfizer Inc. is a multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation known for developing and manufacturing drugs and vaccines with operations in over 165 countries. The company is committed to enhancing people’s lives through pioneering and delivering innovative treatments and therapies. Get to know Pfizer Inc. leaders, founders, and executives here!
About Pfizer Inc.
Pfizer’s areas of focus are the following:
- Rare diseases: As a leading innovator, Pfizer aims to serve the underrepresented patient populations by pioneering treatment options (e.g., rare hematology, cardiology, and neurology) for rare diseases.
- Internal medicine: Pfizer aims to address the most common cardiovascular and metabolic diseases among adults. This is by developing potential therapies targeting the body’s metabolic pathways and developing drugs that benefit patients.
- Vaccines: Pfizer is a leading vaccine manufacturer that aims to extend the benefit of vaccines by focusing on special populations such as neonatal and maternal vaccines and vaccines for cancer and hospital-acquired infections.
- Oncology: Pfizer recognizes the urgency to develop cures for life-threatening diseases, which is why it continues to take new approaches to turn its decades worth of scientific research into effective medicines for people with lung, breast, and colorectal cancer, and more.
- Anti-infectives: Pfizer continues to find new solutions as the world needs modern medicine to fight all kinds of infections and rampant antimicrobial resistance.
- Inflammation and Immunology: Most chronic inflammatory diseases only have therapies for temporary relief. Pfizer aims to address the root cause of these recurring diseases by treating them molecularly.
Who is the Founder of Pfizer Inc?
Charles Erhart and Charles Pfizer were the founders of Pfizer. They started the company in 1849 and named it Charles Pfizer & Company, establishing it in Brooklyn, New York. Charles Pfizer’s father helped finance the production of their first product Santonin. This anthelmintic drug cured intestinal worms, a widespread affliction in America during the mid-1800s, leading to the company’s first success.
Where Is Pfizer’s Headquarters?
Pfizer Inc. headquarters have been in Manhattan, New York, since 1961. In 2018, Pfizer sold its aging global headquarters and moved to the Spiral in Manhattan.
What Is Pfizer’s Organizational Structure?
Pfizer’s organizational structure comprises shareholders, a board of directors, managers, and subordinates. The company’s restructured divisions have more distinct departments managed by chief executives that report to the CEO and Chairman.
Pfizer Executives and Leaders
Here is a list of Pfizer’s leadership team.
Dr. Albert Bourla, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
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Albert Bourla has been Pfizer’s CEO since January 2019. He has accelerated Pfizer’s transformation to become more scientifically driven and innovative during his tenure. During COVID-19, he was instrumental in developing Pfizer’s capabilities and inspiring colleagues to accelerate the vaccine’s development, which took eight months, a process that usually took more than eight years to carry out. Before this role, he was the Group President of Pfizer’s Innovative Health segment. Mr. Bourla has worked at Pfizer for over 25 years and has taken several senior positions in different disciplines and markets.
Sally Susman, Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
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Sally Susman has been Pfizer’s Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer since 2007. She leads the company’s engagement with external stakeholders, corporate responsibility, government relations, communications, and patient advocacy. Also, she provides strategic guidance to the CEO. Ms. Susman became a Board Member in May 2022.
She possesses more than 30 years of experience in leading corporate and government affairs with international companies. Before joining Pfizer, Ms. Susman served in several government relations and senior communications roles at the American Express Company and Estée Lauder.
Payal Sahni Becher, Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief People Experience Officer
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Payal Sahni Becher was named the Chief People Experience Officer and Executive Vice President of Pfizer in January 2022. She is responsible for the company’s diversity and inclusion, global talent strategy, colleague experience, and total rewards. Previously, she was Pfizer’s Chief Human Resources Officer, a role she took amidst a global pandemic.
She joined Pfizer in 1997. After her initial internship with the company, she took on multiple roles, which made her want to stay at Pfizer and inspired by people who shared the same purpose and commitment to save people’s lives. She has also contributed to notable transformations at Pfizer, including its evolution of business structure and HR strategy management for mergers and acquisitions.
William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Development Officer
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William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., became Pfizer’s Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Development Officer in March 2022. He is responsible for overseeing Pfizer’s Global Product Development organization which is in charge of the clinical development and advancement of Pfizer’s portfolio of innovative medicines in its focus areas and regulatory affairs supporting Pfizer’s research and development efforts and marketed therapies. Before joining Pfizer, he was Roche’s Head of Pharma Research and Early Development.
Mike McDermott, Executive Vice President, and Chief Global Supply Officer
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Mike McDermott was named Pfizer’s Executive Vice President and Chief Global Supply Officer in January 2022. He and the Pfizer Global Supply (PGS) team ensure that all of Pfizer’s internal and external manufacturing and supply chains are running smoothly. This includes the company’s entire product portfolio of hundreds of vaccines and medicines. Mr. McDermott brings three decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry’s areas of Marketing and Finance. Before joining Pfizer, he was a Project Engineer at Wyeth, a company that Pfizer later acquired in 2009.
Aamir Malik, Executive Vice President, and Chief Business Innovation Officer
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Aamar Malik has been Pfizer’s Chief Business Innovation Officer and Executive Vice President since September 2021. He oversees Pfizer’s business development, strategy, portfolio management, partnerships with governments and payers, and business venture formation worldwide. Mr. Malik has over 25 years of experience handling mergers and acquisitions, administering high-impact programs, and developing innovative growth strategies.
Doug Lankler, General Counsel, Executive Vice President
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Doug Lankler has been Pfizer’s General Counsel since January 2014. Before this role, he served as a chief compliance officer. Mr. Lanker has served several positions with Pfizer’s legal division for 15 years. He established Pfizer’s agreement with the Defense Department and Health and Human Services Department for the large-scale nationwide availability and production of 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Before joining Pfizer, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Rady Johnson II, Chief Compliance, Quality and Risk Officer, Executive Vice President
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Rady Johnson II has been Pfizer’s Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance, Quality, and Risk Officer since 2013. He is in charge of implementing, designing, and maintaining policies and programs for global compliance. Mr. Johnson also oversees Pfizer’s Global Security function, Corporate Regulatory and Healthcare Law Audit functions, and Regulatory Law practice group. Before joining Pfizer, he was in private practice at Hogan & Hartson.
Angela Hwang, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and President of Pfizer’s Global Biopharmaceuticals Business
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Angela Hwang has been the Chief Commercial Officer and President of Pfizer’s Global Biopharmaceuticals Business since January 2019. The Global Biopharmaceuticals business encompasses transformational medicines to treat cancer, infectious diseases, COVID, rare diseases, and more. She is responsible for advancing innovative access partnerships with governments and payers worldwide.
Ms. Hwang held a crucial role in creating the first COVID-19 vaccine and managing 26,000 employees in 125 countries. In 2019, she launched Diverse Perspectives, a podcast series where she hosts global thought leaders driving change across industries. She joined Pfizer in 1997 as a Corporate Manager of Strategic Planning.
Lidia Fonseca, Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Digital and Technology Officer
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Lidia Fonseca has been Pfizer’s Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer since 2019. She is responsible for the company’s enterprise-wide digital strategy and leads all digital, data, and technology-related products and solutions. These include digitizing drug discovery, manufacturing clinical development, distribution, and more.
Ms. Fonseca led Pfizer’s Digital team in accelerating the COVID-19 vaccine, Cominarty’s development in less than one year, and oral treatment, Paxlovid. She was named Top 100 Executive Women in Tech to Watch in 2023. Before joining Pfizer, Ms. Fonseca was a Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Quest Diagnostics.
Mikael Dolsten, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and President of Pfizer Inc Worldwide Research, Development, and Medical.
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Mikael Dolsten has been Pfizer’s Chief Scientific Officer and President of Worldwide Research, Development, and Medical (WRDM) since January 2019. He is responsible for leading the WRDM organization in charge of developing compounds through proof-of-concept and providing safety, pharmaceutical sciences, and medical support for the portfolio of vaccines and medicines in the market. His team is composed of over 8,000 scientists performing global research operations. Before joining Pfizer in 2008 as a President of Worldwide Research and Development, he was the President and Head of R&D at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Dave Denton, Executive Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer
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Dave Denton was named Pfizer’s Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President in May 2022. He provides strategic global financial leadership and leads Pfizer’s corporate finance functions, including audit, tax, insurance, treasury, corporate controllership, operations planning, and business finance and analytics.
Mr. Denton brings 25 years of experience in finance, most of which he has gained while working in the healthcare industry. This enables him to bring a unique perspective to Pfizer about the patients’ needs and the fast-paced healthcare landscape. Before joining Pfizer, he was Chief Financial Officer at Lowes.
Pfizer Inc. Board of Directors
Here is a list of Pfizer’s board of directors.
- Dr. Albert Bourla
- Ronald E. Blaylock
- Helen H. Hobbs, M.D.
- Scott Gottlieb, M.D.
- Shantanu Narayen
- Susan Desmond-Hellmann, M.D., M.P.H
- Joseph J. Echevarria
- Dan R. Littman, M.D., Ph.D.
- Susan Hockfield, Ph.D.
- James C. Smith
- Suzanne Nora Johnson
- James Quincey
Creating Breakthroughs to Change People’s Lives
Pfizer has been one of the most highly influential and hugely profitable companies since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pfizer has secured lucrative contracts from the U.S. government, with its mRNA vaccine holding 70% of the U.S. and European markets. Pfizer Inc. leaders, founders, and executives are committed to improving people’s health worldwide, from vaccines and treatments for the most prevalent to the rarest diseases.