Communicating Pfizer’s Value: A Conversation with Francesca DeMartino

In her first year as Chief Investor Relations Officer at Pfizer, Francesca DeMartino has already made an impact on how the company communicates its vision and strategy to its diverse investor base. Tasked with sharing Pfizer’s groundbreaking innovations with the financial community, she’s focused on educating investors about the company’s long-term growth strategy and fostering meaningful dialogue to build trust and engagement.

Francesca recently joined Investor Insights to reflect on her journey at Pfizer, her excitement about serving in this pivotal role during such a dynamic time, and her plans to strengthen investor relationships while advancing Pfizer’s long-term vision.

Investor Insights: Why Pfizer? What inspired you to join the company?

Francesca DeMartino: While I’ve spent my entire career in healthcare, joining Pfizer was an exciting opportunity to transition from medical devices into large pharma. The company’s size, scale, and reputation made the move especially appealing, as it allowed me to engage with a new segment of the healthcare industry.

The timing was also a significant factor. Joining Pfizer in the post-COVID environment presented a unique chance to help shape the company’s investor relations strategy for its next phase of engagement with investors. When a company like Pfizer calls, it’s an opportunity you don’t ignore—truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment. It was an easy decision to say yes.

Investor Insights: Looking back on your first year at Pfizer, what has been the highlight and the most rewarding part of this role?

Francesca DeMartino: Reflecting on my first year at Pfizer, it’s difficult to pinpoint a single highlight because it’s been such a dynamic and transformative period. Pfizer is navigating an evolution in its identity—building on its incredible reputation and global impact during COVID while shaping its next chapter. For Investor Relations, this has meant an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Over the last 12 to 13 months, we’ve addressed management changes, new product launches, and pipeline developments. It feels like we’ve compressed five years of work into just one, and while it’s been exhausting, it’s also been exhilarating. Meeting new investors, engaging with analysts, and adapting to the shifting landscape has been both challenging and rewarding. What truly stands out, however, are the people at Pfizer, particularly the Investor Relations team.

Investor Insights: Transparency and trust are vital to investor relations. How does Pfizer ensure it communicates effectively and consistently with investors to keep them informed and engaged?

Francesca DeMartino: Transparency and trust are built on credibility, which is foundational to strong investor relations. Investors value consistency and they like to know what’s ahead of them. They need to rely on what a company communicates today to make informed investment decisions about the future. At Pfizer, we’ve built a robust investor engagement strategy to foster this trust. This includes responding to inquiries, meeting with institutional investors in person, and actively understanding what’s on their minds. Our role as intermediaries is crucial: not only do we communicate the company’s strategy and performance, but we also share investor feedback internally with our leaders. That two-way communication is very important in earning and maintaining investor trust which can significantly impact a company’s success.

Investor Insights: What aspects of Pfizer’s R&D pipeline and commercial execution have you found most compelling to share with investors?

Francesca DeMartino: With Pfizer’s acquisition of Seagen a year ago, we made a significant investment, and investors have been focused on what we purchased and why it’s important. In the short term, the acquisition increased our debt leverage, making it even more critical to communicate the strategic value of this decision.

Across the broader pipeline, there continues to be significant interest in our vaccine portfolio. Most recently, our Lyme disease vaccine candidate has drawn attention and is a topic that’s beginning to capture more investor interest. Beyond vaccines, there is also strong curiosity about Pfizer’s potential in the obesity and weight management space and what Pfizer may do there in the future.

Investor Insights: Looking ahead, what elements of Pfizer’s narrative do you believe are most critical for investors to understand as the company approaches 2025?

Francesca DeMartino: For us, 2024 has been a year of execution—an effort to demonstrate our performance and enhance our credibility with investors. We’ve had a successful year of making progress executing on our five key priorities. This disciplined approach has made 2024 a standout year in terms of performance and alignment with our strategic goals.

Forward-looking statements included herein are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. We encourage you to read our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the sections captioned “Risk Factors” and “Forward Looking Information and Factors that May Affect Future Results,” for a description of such substantial risks and uncertainties. These reports are available at pfizer.com and the SEC’s website.