Birth Date: | 1948 |
Birth Place: | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
Alma Mater: | University of Chicago |
Occupation: | Pharmaceutical executive |
Karen Katen (born 1948, St. Louis, MO) is an American pharmaceutical executive who spent most of her career with Pfizer, rising eventually to Vice-Chairman of the company and President of the pharmaceuticals division.[1]
Katen received a B.A. in political science and an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1970-1974.[2] She joined Pfizer in 1974, and steadily rose through the ranks, becoming President of Pharmaceuticals in 1995.[3] Launches by Pfizer during her tenure included Lipitor and Viagra.[2] During her leadership, Pfizer’s U.S. Pharmaceuticals Group achieved record financial performance each ear, with 1999 revenues over $9.2 billion. Following this, with Pfizer’s acquisition of Warner Lambert, Katen managed the largest integration in the history of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry.[2]
During the early 2000s, Katen was one of three Vice-Chairmen widely speculated to vie for the CEO position when then-CEO Henry "Hank" McKinnell Jr. was set to retire.[4] When Jeffrey Kindler was instead named CEO in 2006, Katen chose to leave the company.
Since 2006, Katen's interests have shifted to service on multiple Boards of Directors; she currently sits on the boards of The Home Depot, Air Liquide, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and several charitable causes.