Pharma marketing maven Arpa Garay is swapping the pharma C-suite for the biotech one. Moderna has wooed the 16-year Merck vet to join as chief commercial officer, the company said Wednesday.
As part of her new role, set to take effect May 31st, she will serve on Moderna’s executive committee and report to CEO Stéphane Bancel.
Garay is currently chief marketing officer for human health at Merck, a position which she assumed in February. She reports to CEO Rob Davis.
Garay oversees long-term portfolio strategy and global marketing for Merck’s in-line and pipeline human health medicines and vaccines, including global market access and pricing strategy, data and analytics, digital marketing and commercial business development.
She’s the most recent of a string of high-profile executives to depart since former CEO Ken Frazier left last year. Julie Gerberding, chief patient officer and EVP of population health and sustainability, is moving on to become CEO of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health after a dozen years at the drugmaker. Frank Clyburn, who was hired in 2018 as Merck’s chief commercial officer and ascended to EVP/president human health, decamped to become CEO at International Flavors & Fragrances earlier this year.
Prior to her Merck role, Garay served as president of global oncology and digital at MSD. She has also served as the company’s president of global pharmaceuticals, analytics and digital marketing; SVP and head of U.S. vaccines; and GM of Merck in Norway.
Garay started her career as a management consultant at Monitor Group, now Monitor Deloitte.
