About
Sally Susman
Sally Susman is an advisor, advocate and author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts and Change the World (Harvard Business Review Press).
Until 2026, Susman served as Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer, the global biopharmaceutical company. She led a team of 600, directing engagement with Pfizer’s external stakeholders across communications, corporate responsibility, global policy, government relations, patient advocacy and investor relations. She played a central role in Pfizer’s strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing communications on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. Susman continues to serve on the board of directors for The Pfizer Foundation.
Before joining Pfizer in 2007, Susman was Executive Vice President of Global Communications at The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led corporate affairs strategy for the company and its 28 brands and served on the Executive Committee. Prior to that, she held senior communications and government relations roles at American Express, managing international positioning and stakeholder engagement across Europe.
Earlier in her career, Susman served in government, focusing on international trade. She was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce and Legislative Assistant for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Today, Susman serves on the boards of UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS), an applied safety science company, and, effective May 2026, Flutter Entertainment (NYSE: FLUT), an entertainment technology company.
Her nonprofit board service includes The Church, whose mission is to foster creativity on the East End and to honor the living history of Sag Harbor as a maker village; and the International Rescue Committee, founded by Albert Einstein to help people affected by humanitarian crises recover and rebuild their lives. She is also a LinkedIn Top Voice, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an Aspen Institute Act III Leadership and Legacy Laureate.
A Connecticut College alumna, Susman delivered the institution’s 2023 commencement address. She also studied at the London School of Economics.
Susman resides in New York City with her wife, Robin Canter.