John Young is Group President of Pfizer’s Global Established Pharma business. John became a Christian at the age of 16 and after University felt a clear calling to business and joined Pfizer following completion of his studies in Immunology. John has moved around the world with Pfizer during his 27 year career and he has a passion for Christians to take the love and character of Jesus into the marketplace and to “preach the Gospel always – and if necessary, to use words”. John moved to the US in May 2012 when he was asked to take up his current position as a member of Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team.
Global Established Pharma comprises three key product segments: large peri-LOE brands such as Celebrex and Zyvox, which are approaching patent expiry in developed markets; an established products segment comprising off-patent brands and generic molecules in developed markets; and a large, growing emerging markets business comprising both of the above, but where the heritage and quality of well-known Pfizer medicines such as Lipitor, Norvasc, Viagra and our anti-infective portfolio meets the needs of patients and healthcare systems in these markets. Additionally, GEP includes significant opportunities for growth through its first-wave portfolio of biosimilars medicines currently in development, its growing sterile injectables business, and local partnerships in key markets such as Brazil and China.
John has more than twenty-five years of experience with Pfizer and has held a number of senior global positions in regions and functions across the organization. He began his Pfizer career in the UK as a trainee Sales Representative, and held positions of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing before moving to Australia as Country Manager in 2004. John returned to the UK as Country Manager in 2007, and later assumed the role of Regional President, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for the Primary Care Business Unit. In 2012, he was appointed President and General Manager of the Primary Care Business, where he led both the commercial organization and clinical development of medicines in key disease areas impacting large populations, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and pain.
John is a member of the Boards of EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations), the NCUSCR (National Committee for US China Relations), and has been a member of the UK Government bioscience working group, the MISG (Ministerial Industry Strategy Group), since 2008.
John holds a BSc in Biological Science from Glasgow University and an MBA from Strathclyde Graduate Business School, and is married with three daughters.