Havas Health has appointed Anna Maria Marra CEO of Europe. Marra is joining the healthcare agency after a 22-year run at Pfizer that culminated in her leading the launch of the antibiotic Emblaveo.
Pfizer hired Marra all the way back in 2002, at which time the new Havas Health exec had spent a few years working at Merck and Organon. Over the next 22 years, Pfizer repeatedly promoted Marra, sending her pinballing across the globe to take up positions of ever-increasing responsibility. Marra held posts in China, Mexico, the U.S. and Venezuela before taking up a position in Italy.
During her time in Italy, Marra was involved in Pfizer’s global marketing operations and, in her last post at the drugmaker, directed and supported the launch of Emblaveo. Pfizer won approval for the antibiotic in Europe earlier this year.
Marra discussed the relevance of her background to the Havas Health position in a statement, explaining that the experience at Pfizer has equipped her “with deep insight on how to best apply digital trends to marketing innovation on a global and regional scale.” All European agency CEOs will report to Marra.
The new hire will in turn report to Donna Murphy, the global CEO of Havas Health and Havas Creative Networks. Murphy said Marra’s “breadth of global brand commercialization and pharmaceutical product expertise will give Havas Health a strategic new edge.”
Marra is arriving in the aftermath of a reorganization of Havas Health. Earlier this year, the company consolidated most of its agencies into three offerings: Havas Life, Havas Lynx and Jacques.