Jeff Kindler

Early career

Kindler earned his BA in 1977 from Tufts University summa cum laude and his JD in 1980 from Harvard Law School magna cum laude, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Kindler served as an attorney at the Federal Communications Commission. He was a law clerk to Judge David L. Bazelon of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and later as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. Following his clerkship with Justice Brennan, Kindler practiced civil and criminal litigation at the Washington D.C. firm of Williams & Connolly, where he became a partner.

1990-2000

In 1990, Kindler joined the legal team at General Electric. Kindler later became Vice President of Litigation and Legal Policy. In 1994, Kindler worked with future Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division William Baer and renowned trial lawyer Dan Webb on the winning litigation team tasked with defending GE against diamond price-fixing claims. Although GE was acquitted at trial, De Beers was also charged and subsequently pleaded guilty to keeping prices in the worldwide industrial diamond market artificially high.

In 1996, Kindler joined McDonald's Corporation as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for legal and corporate affairs. After leading the acquisition of Boston Market, Kindler became President of Boston Market Corp. and then of Partner Brands, which consisted of all of McDonald’s non-hamburger concepts, including Chipotle Mexican Grill, Donatos Pizza, and Pret a Manger.

2001-2010

In 2002, Kindler became the General Counsel at Pfizer Inc., the largest research-based biopharmaceutical company in the world. In February 2005, Kindler was named Vice Chairman. Under Kindler’s leadership as Vice Chairman and General Counsel, Pfizer provided legal support for families of 9/11 victims, among other pro bono efforts. The Legal Aid Society recognized Pfizer for "creating the prototype for corporate pro bono," for which Kindler accepted the Pro Bono Publico and Public Service Corporate awards. He received the first GC Leadership Award in recognition of his work aiding low-income New Yorkers and the 2005 Exemplar Award from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) for his service to the community.

On July 28, 2006, Pfizer's board of directors selected Kindler to succeed Henry A. McKinnell, Jr. as Chief Executive Officer. Later in 2006, Kindler was elected by Pfizer's board of directors to serve the additional role of Chairman.

In 2009, Kindler oversaw Pfizer's $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth. The acquisition gave Pfizer access to Wyeth's entire product line, eight late-stage clinical trials, and four compounds awaiting FDA approval.

Kindler established Pfizer's program to distribute more than 70 of its medications for free to people who meet certain criteria, including job loss and the absence of prescription drug insurance. Kindler also collaborated with former President Bill Clinton's Clinton Global Initiatives on a range of programs reducing the costs of essential medicines for people in developing markets in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, resulting in more affordable treatment for AIDS patients in these regions.

Kindler retired from Pfizer in 2010.

2011-present

In 2012, Kindler joined Lux Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in emerging technologies in the physical and life sciences. Kindler became CEO of Centrexion Corp., a biotechnology company based in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2013.

Kindler is a director of Starboard Capital Partners, a private equity firm, and the executive chairman of vTv Therapeutics. He is a principal at Hawthorn Pharma Services. Kindler also serves on the boards of a number of public and privately held companies, including Intrexon Inc. NYSE: XON, SIGA Technologies Inc. NASDAQ: SIGA, AgaMatrix, and Pharmaceutical Product Development LLC. (PPD, LLC.). He is a member of President Obama's Management Advisory Board.

Kindler previously served as Chairman of Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a leading representative of pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies. Kindler also served as Chairman of the U.S. Japan Business Council and as a member of the President's Export Council, the Shanghai Mayor's Business Advisory Council, the Business Council, and the Business Roundtable. Formerly, he served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Philanthropy

In 2011, Kindler was elected to the board of directors for The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia). He also sits on the boards of the Manhattan Theater Club and Tufts University. He has served on the boards of the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Catalyst, United Way of New York City, the Legal Aid Society of New York, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.