Jeffrey B. Kindler
Former Chairman and CEO, Pfizer
Jeff 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. He joined Pfizer in January 2002 as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to his appointment as CEO in July 2006, he was promoted to the position of a Vice Chairman of the company and a member of its four-person Executive Committee with responsibility for Pfizer's worldwide legal, compliance, communications, government relations, corporate citizenship, policy development, and global security groups.
Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Kindler earned his BA in 1977 from Tufts University summa cum laude and his JD 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 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 joined the law firm of Williams & Connolly, became a Partner there, and practiced civil and criminal litigation. In 1990, he joined General Electric as Vice President of Litigation and Legal Policy. In 1996, he joined McDonald's Corporation as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, responsible for both legal and corporate affairs (philanthropy, government affairs, compliance, and communications).
While at McDonald’s, he moved into line management as President of Partner Brands. This operating unit, with more than 50,000 employees worldwide, included several restaurant brands such as Boston Market, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Donato’s Pizza, and Pret a Manger.
He previously served on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the President’s Export Council, the Business Roundtable, the Shanghai Mayor’s Business Advisory Council, Catalyst, the United Way of New York City, the Legal Aid Society, Lincoln Center, and as Chairman of the U.S.-Japan Business Council. He currently serves on the boards of Tufts University, Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Manhattan Theatre Club.
He is married to Sharon Sullivan and lives in Westport, Connecticut. They have two children, Joshua and Samantha.
