William_C._Steere_Jr.

William C. Steere Jr.

William C. Steere Jr.

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William C. Steere Jr. (born June 17, 1936) is a former chief executive officer of Pfizer. He is also a member of the board of directors of the New York Botanical Garden.[1] While Steere was CEO of Pfizer, the company acquired Warner-Lambert and brought to market blockbuster drugs including Viagra, Zoloft, and Zithromax.[2] His decision to triple research expenditures in 8 years, to $2.2 billion, was cited as a reason for the prosperity of Pfizer during his tenure,[3] a period in which sales of the company doubled.[4]

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Early life and education

Steere was born in 1936 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[5] Steere's father, William C. Steere, was an American botanist known as an expert on bryophytes. In 1959, Steere graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Biology.[1]

Career

Upon graduation in 1959, Steere began a career at Pfizer as a medical service representative.[5] He became Director of Marketing for Pfizer Latin America in 1969.[5] In 1972, he became Vice President-General Manager of Roerig, a division of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.[5] He became vice president of Pfizer Laboratories in 1980, Corporate Vice President of Pfizer in 1983, President of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in 1986,[5] President of Pfizer in 1990 and chief executive officer from 1991 to 2000. In 2011, he retired from the board of directors of the company.[2]

Board memberships

Between 1997 and 2007, Steere was a member of the board of directors of Dow Jones & Company.[6] From 1999 to 2010, he was a member of the board of directors of MetLife.[7]

Steere was a member of the executive committee of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America; a member of the board of overseers of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and of The Business Roundtable; and a director of the Council on Competitiveness, the New York University Medical Center, WNET, The Business Council, Texaco, and the New York Botanical Garden. He served as a class B director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, having been elected for a three-year term ending December 31, 1995.[5]

Personal life

Steere married Lynda Gay Powers on January 29, 1957. They have 3 sons.

While working at Pfizer, Steere resided in Darien, Connecticut.[8]

Steere enjoys scuba diving and spearfishing and lives in Bonita Springs, Florida, where he owns a boat and a marina.[4]

Steere has made campaign contributions, most of which were to members of the Republican Party.[9]

References

  1. [1]
    "WILLIAM AND LYNDA STEERE". New York Botanical Garden.
  2. [2]
    Day, Lee Howard (March 25, 2011). "Pfizer past CEO Steere, a key company builder, retires from its board". The Day.
  3. [3]
    HATHAWAY, WILLIAM (December 29, 1998). "PFIZER NAMED FORBES' COMPANY OF YEAR". Hartford Courant.
  4. [4]
    Petersen, Melody (August 11, 2000). "Pfizer Chief to Retire, Leaving Successor Hard Act to Follow". The New York Times.
  5. [5]
    "Full text of Federal Reserve Bank of New York Circulars : 10810. Nomination of Directors". FRASER. November 9, 1995.
  6. [6]
    "Dow Jones to Nominate New Chairman". The Wall Street Journal. February 22, 2007.
  7. [7]
    "METLIFE BOARD ELECTS CHERYL W. GRISÉ AS LEAD DIRECTOR" (Press release). MetLife. January 27, 2010.
  8. [8]
    Freudenheim, Milt (November 21, 1990). "BUSINESS PEOPLE; Sales Executive Picked To Be Pfizer President". The New York Times.
  9. [9]
    "William Steere Political Campaign Contributions". CampaignMoney.com.
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