Former Pfizer Chairman and CEO Jeff Kindler shares how the pharmaceutical industry is a “very unusual and unique business.” He discusses the increasing challenges of the various stages of drug discovery, drug development, registration and marketing. Kindler also stresses the impact mentors have had on his career as an executive.
Jeff Kindler is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Pfizer, the world’s largest research-based biopharmaceutical company. He joined Pfizer as Executive Vice President and General Counsel and served as Vice Chairman at the company before becoming CEO in July 2006. Before joining Pfizer, Kindler served as President of Partner Brands and Executive Vice President and General Counsel of McDonald’s Corporation. Kindler is also a Venture Partner at Lux Capital, a leading venture capital firm; a principal and senior advisor to Paragon Pharmaceuticals, a global investment firm that builds and manages innovative pharmaceutical companies; and a director at Starboard Capital Partners, a Connecticut-based private equity firm. Kindler is a member of President Obama’s Management Advisory Board and the Global Chairman of GLG Institute.