Rome, March 4, 2025 – Ozgur Yaziyurt has been appointed Country President of Pfizer in Italy, succeeding Päivi Kerkola.
Yaziyurt, 48, was born in Turkey and holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara. He has been living in Rome for years with his family and has built a long professional career within Pfizer Italy. In the company, he has held several key positions, including President of the Upjohn Division, General Manager for Italy/Greece, and Vice President of Pfizer Essential Health in Italy.
With over twenty years at Pfizer, Yaziyurt has gained solid expertise across various strategic areas, from finance to business development, marketing, and sales, leading multiple business units. More recently, he was responsible for a large geographical area spanning Europe and Asia, including Russia, Belarus, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Yaziyurt succeeds Päivi Kerkola, who is leaving Pfizer after more than 20 years of career, including five as head of the Italian branch. During her tenure, she led the organizational transformation, ensuring Pfizer’s growth trajectory, even navigating the challenging initial phase of the pandemic.
Pfizer has a strong and diversified presence in Italy, with over 2,000 employees working across all Italian regions, the headquarters in Rome, the R&D and pharmacovigilance center in Milan, and two manufacturing plants in Ascoli and Catania.
About Pfizer:
Founded in Brooklyn in 1849, Pfizer is now a global leader in biopharmaceuticals, offering a broad and diversified portfolio of products, including cardiovascular and anti-infective medicines, new vaccine and biologic molecules, innovative oncology therapies, and orphan drugs for rare diseases.
With over $10 billion invested in research and development, Pfizer is one of the industry’s top investors in R&D. The company collaborates with healthcare institutions, governments, organizations, and local communities to improve access to care and enhance patients’ quality of life. Every day, Pfizer employees worldwide work toward a single mission: delivering innovations that change patients’ lives – “Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives.”
Pfizer has been present in Italy since 1955, with offices in Rome and Milan, and two manufacturing plants in Ascoli Piceno and Catania. For more information, visit: www.pfizer.it.