Jeffrey B. Kindler

Biography

Jeffrey B. Kindler is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer, the world’s largest research-based biopharmaceutical company, from which he retired in December 2010. Mr. Kindler joined Pfizer in January 2002 as executive vice president and general counsel and, prior to his appointment as CEO in July 2006, served as a vice chairman of the company. Mr. Kindler earned his bachelor’s degree in 1977 from Tufts University summa cum laude and his juris doctorate in 1980 from Harvard magna cum laude, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He began his legal career as an attorney at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. He then served as law clerk to Judge David L. Bazelon of the U.S. Court of Appeals of the D.C. Circuit and later as law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. He practiced civil and criminal litigation at the Washington, D.C., firm of Williams & Connolly, where he became a partner. In 1990, he joined the General Electric Co. in Fairfield, Conn., where he was vice president of litigation and legal policy. In 1996, he joined McDonald’s Corp. as executive vice president and general counsel, responsible for both legal and corporate affairs (which included philanthropy, government affairs, compliance and communications).

Research Interest

 Biopharmaceutics