GC Influencers
Most Influential GCs - USA
Douglas M Lankler of Pfizer, Inc
Douglas Lanker joined Pfizer’s legal team in 1999 after a number of years in the Justice Department and a stint in private practice at Simpson Thacher. He ascended to the general counsel’s position in 2014, having previously served as chief compliance and risk officer to the company, and is tasked with overseeing a legal department comprised of several hundred, internationally-based lawyers who handle a massive scope of regulatory and broader legal issues for the biopharmaceuticals giant.
His tenure at the helm of the legal department has seen the team flex its muscles on a number of high profile, international transactional matters. Shortly after his appointment in early 2014, Pfizer launched a USD118 billion attempt to acquire AstraZeneca, which was ultimately abandoned, followed by a similarly aborted USD160 billion bid for Allergan in 2016. Last year saw greater success in a landmark joint venture with GlaxoSmithKline, which combined both companies’ consumer healthcare division into a single entity.