Latest news with #SallySusman
Business Insider
18 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Sally Susman helped steer Pfizer through COVID-19. Her advice for leaders? Learn to write — and listen.
Pfizer' Communications and Policy Chief Sally Susman has made a name for herself doing just that, such as by helping the pharmaceutical giant launch its COVID-19 vaccine at the height of the pandemic. Susman, who recently announced plans to leave Pfizer later this year after an 18-year-run, previously held similar roles at Estée Lauder and American Express. In an interview with Business Insider, she described her field as one in which there's never an average day and said that it can sometimes be as dramatic as a Hollywood blockbuster. "This work of corporate affairs, communications, public affairs, government affairs is completely so exciting," she said. "I wake up and look at the news across the globe and I think, 'OK, now my agenda is set.' " The profession is also important, as it can make a significant impact on a company's trajectory, according to Susman, who has advised nine CEOs over the course of her career. But she thinks the field sometimes gets misunderstood. "It's a mistake to consider communications a soft skill," she said. "The leaders and people who want to make change, who I've seen embrace and prioritize their communications, and who know it to be a rock-hard competency, are the game changers." Succeeding in the field requires being a strong writer, Susman said. Comms pros are tasked with storytelling, internal messaging, crafting statements for media outlets and more. "There's no substitute for picking up the pen, parsing the arguments, drafting yourself," she said. Still, that doesn't mean you should avoid using AI tools like ChatGPT, she added. In fact, Susman recommends taking advantage of the technology for conducting research and outlining ideas. "I know many people are apprehensive about AI, but it is an important tool," she said. "Just like photography didn't decimate painting, AI is not going to ruin communications." Talking regularly to executives, politicians, and other leaders can also help with writing by providing knowledge and context, Susman added. Conversations she's had with such individuals over the years informed her thinking, she said, which is why "relationships matter so much." Another piece of advice from Susman for aspiring comms pros is to dive into geopolitics. Always keep up with major events happening around the world and ask yourself what these mean for companies and their employees. "The opportunities around what I call 'global policy and diplomacy topics' are unlimited right now," she said. Also, don't punish yourself for making mistakes. Susman said she's made countless gaffes over the course of her career and has no regrets. "There were times when I failed to do enough due diligence, times my ego got the better of me," she said. "It's just human nature. It's humanity. It's what we do when we're out there trying to make a difference." Having mentored interns and junior employees at Pfizer and companies where she previously worked, Susman said she's noticed that many young people seem to suffer from anxiety. She's seen them do things like rewrite their résumés over and over and stress about what they said or didn't say in meetings — none of which is healthy, she said. "We are judged over long, vast, savannahs of time," she said. "We are not judged in a moment."
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
She helped launch Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in the depths of the pandemic. Now, she's planning her next act.
In early 2020, Pfizer Communications and Policy Chief Sally Susman was stunned when the head of the pharmaceutical company revealed plans to bring a COVID-19 vaccine forward by the end of that year. "It was literally the boldest, most audacious statement I have ever heard," Susman told Business Insider shortly after announcing last week plans to end her nearly two-decade run at Pfizer at the end of 2025. A pioneer of modern corporate communications, Susman described the months that followed as a career-defining opportunity to help build people's trust in the company during an extraordinary time of uncertainty and fear. Amid a barrage of media attention, she pushed for Pfizer to be as transparent as possible about its work, such as by taking steps to safely embed reporters into its clinical trials. "All these things came together in a way that you rarely get a chance to do," said Susman, author of the book "Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World," published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2023. "I always say to people who are in the profession, you don't know what day your life is going to change, when your company is faced with just an unprecedented situation." Susman's pending exit from Pfizer comes as the company is undergoing a restructuring effort due to a number of factors, including slowing demand for its COVID-19 vaccine, expected patent losses, and struggles to gain traction in the booming obesity drug market. Pfizer said her external communications, global policy, patient advocacy, and other duties will be divided among several top executives and she will remain on the board of its philanthropic foundation. "This was the right time for the company and for me to make changes," said Susman. "I have absolutely loved it, but I do have other passions." Why corporate comms matters Susman, 63, started in corporate communications a few years after graduating from Connecticut College in the 1980s, when the field was still relatively new. She said engagement with consumers, investors, and other stakeholders was a trend taking shape at the time, starting with the AIDS crisis. "Then I watched it take hold with environmentalists, with breast cancer survivors, with labor unions," she said. "People sort of rose up and felt that they had a say in the world." Later, social media further elevated the importance of corporate communications, Susman said, as companies needed help managing relations with the public online. Yet it was a legal battle that kicked off in 1996 by her then-employer American Express against its rivals Visa and Mastercard over anti-competition allegations that underscores for her why corporate affairs is such a critical function. "The successful conclusion of the lawsuit was really driven by a supportive communications and government-relations strategy," said Susman, who was American Express's vice president of European corporate affairs at communications at the time. "That's when I had the big aha." Susman has worked under nine chief executive officers throughout her career, including three at Pfizer. "There's nothing more gratifying than having the honor of advising a CEO on their most pressing concerns and opportunities," she said. "That's the rare air." Deirdre Latour, a former communications chief at General Electric, said on LinkedIn that it is hard to overstate the impact of Susman on the corporate communications profession. "When I think of Sally the following words come to kind, consistent, resilient, focused, accomplished, curious and fun," Latour wrote. "She has seen and done it all." 'Like right out of a movie' A major career highlight for Susman came on a Sunday in November of 2020. She recalled wearing a face mask and waiting in a conference room several feet apart from Pfizer Chief Albert Bourla and a handful of other Pfizer executives to learn if the COVID-19 vaccine the company had been developing was viable. It turned out to be safe and effective. "Even though the health regulations said we shouldn't do this, we all hugged, we cried, and we called our loved ones," she recalled. "It felt like right out of a movie." Though Pfizer did contribute to a documentary about the pandemic, the company's story hasn't yet been made into a Hollywood production. Susman said she can picture that happening one day. "I hope someone good plays me," she said, declining to name names. "I'll leave that to others to cast." Retirement is still a ways off for Susman. In September she'll be joining a new, six-month program at the Aspen Institute for those who have achieved success in life but are looking to make a greater impact. "It's where people try to answer for themselves, what's next?" Susman said. "I am deep in discovery around that question."
Bloomberg
08-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Pfizer's Reputation Chief Leaving as Company Shuffles Executives
Sally Susman, who has presided over Pfizer Inc. 's public communications for nearly two decades, will leave the company this year as part of a broader corporate restructuring. Susman's work as chief corporate affairs officer will be split among five executives at the company, Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in a companywide email Tuesday that described the move as a mutual decision. Four of her top deputies will also leave the company, according to a person familiar with Pfizer's plans.
Axios
08-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
Sally Susman departs Pfizer after 18 years
Pfizer chief corporate affairs officer Sally Susman is departing the company after roughly two decades, CEO Albert Bourla announced Tuesday. Why it matters: Susman is credited as one of the early architects of the modern corporate affairs function. During her time at Pfizer, she managed three CEO transitions, supported the rollout of the COVID vaccine, launched the foundation's Accord for a Healthier World initiative and helped the company dodge a high-profile proxy battle. Catch up quick: Susman joined Pfizer in 2007, overseeing communications, corporate responsibility, ESG, global policy and government relations, investor relations and patient advocacy. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical company, she led communications and corporate affairs at the Estée Lauder Companies and American Express. Susman started her career in Washington, D.C. supporting legislative affairs in the U.S. Senate and Department of Commerce. What they're saying: In a message to employees, Bourla explained the corporate affairs restructuring as another step "to prioritize focus, speed, and simplify our work processes." "As we continue to deliver results, my dear friend and longtime colleague, Sally Susman, and I have decided to integrate the critical capabilities of our Corporate Affairs function into the Pfizer organizations where partnerships already exist," he wrote. "Sally will help ensure a smooth transition." Details: The various functions within corporate affairs will be absorbed by the business units they support, a source tells Axios. For example, the U.S. government affairs and public policy team will report to the U.S. commercial president, the international policy and public affairs group will report to the international president, and investor relations will report into the chief financial officer. The big picture: Susman's exit is part of a broader move to shrink the company's most senior ranks as it seeks to return to pre-pandemic operating margins, according to a source familiar with the decision.
