10 Things You Didn’t Know about Pfizer CEO Ian Read
When you think about a company like Pfizer, you probably don’t spend much time thinking about the Chief Executive Officer, ian Read. Instead, you’re probably busy thinking about the different medications the company produces and how much they cost. When it comes right down to it, much of that is directly tied to Read and the decisions that he makes on a day-to-day basis. If you want to know more about him, read through the 10 things that are listed below.
1. He’s been in this position since 2010
While he’s always worked for Pfizer, he didn’t take the position of Chief Executive Officer until 2010. Nevertheless, he’s held that position for longer than most people manage to stay in such a high-profile job function. By all accounts, the company is making money hand-over-fist under his direction, so there doesn’t seem to be any motivation for them to change things.
2. He has Scottish roots
As you might have guessed from his name, Ian, he comes from a Celtic family. In fact, his family takes a great deal of pride in their Scottish roots. Read himself frequently returns to Scotland in order to spend time in his homeland. He’s so fond of it that he tries to get back there as often as time will allow.
3. He’s also an accountant
In 1978 he became a chartered accountant, and this is essentially what landed him his position at Pfizer to begin with. He started working for the for the company in the accounting department and then gradually worked his way up the ladder from there. As previously mentioned, he’s worked for Pfizer ever since he began his professional career.
4. He’s an American citizen, but he wasn’t born in America
Although he is now an American citizen, he wasn’t born in America. It wouldn’t be until several years after he was born that he would eventually settle in America, subsequently gaining his American citizenship just as many other immigrants have done.
5. He was actually born in Scotland
Most people that live in America and claim Scottish roots can’t realistically claim that they were born there, at least not these days. However, Read was indeed born in a small village in Scotland.
6. Not even two months after he was born, he and his family relocated to Zimbabwe
He was only six weeks old when he and his family moved from Scotland to Zimbabwe. That might be the country he identifies with the most, even though he loves his native Scotland. He spent his formative years there, growing up in the area.
7. He went to college in London
When he was old enough to go to college, he made the decision that it was time to branch out and enrolled in Imperial College, located in London. There, he studied an extremely complex subject, chemical engineering. Eventually, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree.
8. His professional life has turned out much differently than his college plans
Although he started out working toward chemical engineering, he became a chartered accountant just four years later. As such, he uses those skills much more frequently than he uses those he learned in his chemical engineering classes. With that being said, both skills are equally important as far as the company he works for is concerned.
9. You might say he understands big money when it comes to medicine
Pfizer has a tendency to make most of its money by increasing the cost of drugs that are already in production. When he took over as CEO, this was something the company was worried about because it creates a great deal of backlash within the general public. Under his direction, the company has continued to increase its prices more than ever. Sadly, people are paying more than $100,000 for certain medications that are life-saving and they have few other options when it comes to doing anything differently.
10. He still likes to travel the globe
This is probably due to all the different places he’s been throughout his life. He still finds it interesting to travel to new places or revisit old favorites. Whenever he feels as though he needs a fresh perspective on things, he takes a trip to virtually any place that interests him and then comes back to begin his work all over again. He credits this method for helping him stay focused and successful.