Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced that Kathryn Beiser will join the company as vice president, global communications. In this role, Beiser will oversee all aspects of the company's corporate communications strategy, including internal and external corporate communications, media relations, crisis management, executive communications, digital and social media, and corporate brand and reputation management.
"I am pleased to welcome Kathy to Lilly as our new vice president of global communications," said Leigh Ann Pusey, senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications at Lilly. "Kathy is a PR pro who has a proven track record of building high-performing teams and leading them to deliver strong results. She has a clear vision for how Lilly can expand and enhance our activities to communicate more effectively and creatively as a global healthcare company. I look forward to seeing the positive impact she will have on our organization."
"I am thrilled to join Lilly at such an exciting and important time in the company's history as they have recently delivered a series of successful product launches and built a promising pipeline of potential new medicines," said Beiser. "During these challenging times for the healthcare industry, communicating effectively to all Lilly stakeholders about the good work being done by Lilly scientists and every other employee is a key part of the company's mission to unite caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. I am excited to be leading the communications team in support of that mission."
Beiser brings a strong background in healthcare communications to Lilly, most recently serving as senior vice president and chief communications officer for Kaiser Permanente. Before joining Kaiser Permanente, Beiser held the role of senior advisor with APCO Worldwide and also served as global chair, corporate practice, for Edelman Public Relations Worldwide. Earlier, she served as executive vice president, corporate communications, for Hilton Worldwide, and was vice president of corporate communications for Discover Financial Services. Beiser has also worked for several of the world's most well-known public relations firms, including Burson-Marsteller, Golin and Hill & Knowlton where she focused on healthcare and other clients in highly regulated industry sectors.
Beiser is a member and a former trustee of the Arthur W. Page Society, the professional organization of chief communication officers, as well as a former trustee of the Institute for Public Relations. She currently serves on the boards of Bright Pink, a nonprofit organization that helps to save lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering women to know their risk and manage their health proactively, and Break the Cycle, a nonprofit organization aimed at ending domestic violence and promoting healthy relationships among teenagers. Beiser holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Northwestern University and a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.
