Pfizer global CMO to depart

Pfizer global chief marketing officer Drew Panayioutou will leave the organization, a company spokesperson confirmed Wednesday afternoon. He will be succeeded by Susan Rienow, currently Pfizer’s U.K. managing director and country president.

Panayioutou joined Pfizer in September 2022 and oversaw significant changes to the company’s marketing strategy, including an agency consolidation and a brand refresh.

Under his watch, the company produced its first 60-second Super Bowl ad, Here’s to Science, which aired in February. The campaign centered around the company’s vision for the future of oncology and was created in collaboration with Publicis Conseil, LeTruc/Publicis NY and others.

Prior to joining Pfizer, Panayioutou served as CMO at Verily, Google’s life sciences arm, for two years. During that time, he led the company’s B2B marketing strategies, branding operations and corporate communications.

While Panayioutou started his career at Johnson & Johnson, he has spent much of it outside the healthcare industry. He was previously president of Chick-fil-A’s Red Wagon Ventures, chief executive officer of BBDO ATL, senior vice president and CMO of Best Buy, SVP of global marketing strategy and planning, media and digital at The Walt Disney Company and vice president of global marketing for Sprite and Fanta brands at The Coca Cola Company. 

Rienow’s Pfizer tenure commenced in 2001, when she joined the company as a senior market research manager. Since then, she has served as senior manager of U.S. marketing, senior brand marketing manager for CNS/pain in emerging markets and Europe, acting regional marketing director for CNS/pain in several markets, and regional brand director for the European specialty asset team for hemophilia

She currently serves as president of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

Panayioutou’s departure comes one year after Pfizer moved its global creative duties to Publicis from Interpublic Group’s FCB and IPG Health. This transpired just 10 months after the company consolidated its advertising business with Publicis and IPG.

IPG retains Pfizer’s PR account, which it won in mid-2023. Last year, Pfizer spent $3.7 billion in advertising expenses, up from $2.8 billion in 2022.

The change in marketing leadership comes less than a week before Pfizer is slated to release its latest earnings report, scheduled for July 30.