Susan Hockfield
PFIZERAbout Susan Hockfield
Susan Hockfield, Ph.D., is an independent director of Pfizer Inc. with deep academic and scientific leadership experience. She is 74 and has served on Pfizer’s Board since 2020; the Board has determined she is independent of management under Pfizer’s Director Qualification Standards . Hockfield is Professor of Neuroscience and President Emerita at MIT, and previously served as Yale’s Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Provost, as well as MIT’s first woman and first life scientist President .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | President (sixteenth president) | 2004–2012 | Advanced institutional leadership; first woman and first life scientist President |
| MIT | Professor of Neuroscience; President Emerita; Member, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research | 2004–present | Scientific leadership and translational research linkage |
| Yale University | Professor of Neurobiology | 1985–2004 | Scientific research and teaching |
| Yale University | Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences | 1998–2002 | Graduate education leadership |
| Yale University | Provost | 2003–2004 | University-wide academic and administrative oversight |
| General Electric Company | Director | 2006–2018 | Public company board service (prior) |
| Qualcomm Incorporated | Director | 2012–2016 | Public company board service (prior) |
| U.S. Department of State | Science Envoy | Not disclosed | Public policy and science diplomacy |
| Advanced Manufacturing Partnership | Founding Co‑Chair | Not disclosed | National manufacturing policy/innovation initiative |
| American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | President and Chair (public service) | Not disclosed | Scientific community leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repertoire Immune Medicines | Board Member | Not disclosed | Biopharma board role (private) |
| Cajal Neuroscience | Board Member | Until 2024 | Neuroscience company; board service ended in 2024 |
| Break Through Cancer | Board Member | Not disclosed | Non-profit cancer research collaboration |
| American Academy of Arts and Sciences | Member | Not disclosed | Scientific honors society |
| Society for Neuroscience | Member | Not disclosed | Professional society |
Board Governance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Independent director; Board determined all current directors other than CEO are independent |
| Board Tenure | Director since 2020 |
| Committee Memberships (2025 slate) | Regulatory and Compliance; Science and Technology (member; not chair) |
| Committee Meeting Cadence (2024) | Regulatory & Compliance: 4 meetings; Science & Technology: 4 meetings |
| Board Meetings (2024) | 7 meetings; each director attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings; all directors attended the 2024 Annual Meeting |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | 155,000 | 155,000 |
| Stock Awards ($) | 205,000 | 205,000 |
| All Other Compensation ($) | 3,000 (Pfizer Foundation matching gifts) | 3,000 (includes matching gifts for Dec 2023 contributions) |
| Total ($) | 363,000 | 363,000 |
| Director Compensation Program Element | Value / Policy |
|---|---|
| Annual Cash Retainer | $155,000 (paid quarterly) |
| Annual Equity Grant (Stock Units) | $205,000 grant value |
| Committee Chair Fee | $30,000 (additional cash) |
| Lead Independent Director Fee | $50,000 (additional cash) |
| Stock Ownership Guideline | ≥5× annual cash retainer ($775,000); all directors comply; 5-year phase-in for new directors |
| Hedging/Pledging Policy | Hedging and pledging prohibited; none of the directors has pledged Pfizer stock |
| Aggregate Cap (12 months) | Cash retainer + stock units ≤ $800,000 under the 2019 Stock Plan |
Governance note: The Governance Committee reviewed non‑employee director compensation in April 2024 with Meridian Compensation Partners and recommended no changes; program remained competitive .
Performance Compensation
- The proxy discloses non‑employee director compensation comprises cash retainers and stock unit grants; no performance metrics are described for director pay .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Type | Company/Organization | Role | Interlock/Conflict Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current public boards | None | — | Reduces potential interlock risk |
| Prior public boards | General Electric Company | Director | Historic service; no current interlock |
| Prior public boards | Qualcomm Incorporated | Director | Historic service; no current interlock |
| Academic affiliations | MIT; Yale | Professor/Leadership roles | Pfizer engages in ordinary‑course transactions with certain director‑affiliated institutions; all reviewed and below materiality thresholds under independence standards |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Academia; Medicine & Science: Professor of Neuroscience (MIT; Yale); extensive scientific leadership including Koch Institute membership .
- Business Leadership & Operations: Led MIT; senior leadership at Yale; prior public board service at GE and Qualcomm .
- Government & Public Policy: U.S. Science Envoy; Advanced Manufacturing Partnership co‑chair; AAAS President & Chair .
- Recognitions: Multiple scientific and leadership awards (e.g., Edison Achievement Award; Geoffrey Beene Builders of Science) .
Equity Ownership
| As of Date | Common Stock | Stock Units |
|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 (end of year) | — | 32,656 stock units (incl. dividend equivalents) |
| January 31, 2025 | — | 32,656 deferred stock units (each equivalent to a share) |
- All eligible non‑employee directors elected to defer 2025 stock units; deferred units accrue dividend equivalents and are payable upon board departure in cash or shares at the director’s election .
- Policy prohibits hedging and pledging; none of the directors has pledged Pfizer stock .
Governance Assessment
-
Strengths:
- Independent director with significant scientific and academic leadership; relevant to oversight of R&D and compliance through Science & Technology and Regulatory & Compliance committees .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met seven times; each director attended ≥75% of meetings; all attended the Annual Meeting, supporting board effectiveness .
- Alignment: Complies with robust stock ownership guidelines (≥5× retainer) and holds 32,656 deferred stock units; hedging/pledging prohibited and none pledged .
- No current public company directorships, limiting interlock/conflict risk on competitive information flows .
-
Potential conflict scrutiny:
- Pfizer engages in ordinary‑course transactions with certain director‑affiliated institutions (including academic institutions employing Hockfield); all reviewed and found below independence thresholds in Pfizer’s Standards—no material impairment of independence identified .
-
Process and oversight signals:
- Committee cadence and charters emphasize compliance, ethics, product quality/safety, and science pipeline oversight; Hockfield’s committee roles align with her expertise .
- Section 16(a) compliance: Company believes directors met all filing requirements in 2024 .
Overall, Hockfield’s profile supports investor confidence in board oversight of science and compliance, with low observable conflict risk and clear ownership alignment under Pfizer’s director compensation and governance policies .