John J. Castellani
| John Castellani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President & CEO of PhRMA | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office August, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Billy Tauzin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John J. Castellani Skaneateles, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican [1] |
| Spouse(s) | Terry Castellani |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Washington D.C. |
| Alma mater | Union College |
| Profession | Lobbyist, Business executive |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
John Castellani is an American public affairs executive and public policy advocate. He serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and advocates for health and economic polices that encourage biopharmaceutical research, investment and innovation. Prior to joining PhRMA, Castellani led the Business Roundtable, a U.S. advocacy and lobbying group. Currently he is on the Pharmacist Partners Advisory Board.[2]
PhRMA
As President and CEO, Mr. Castellani leads an organization that represents America’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which employ more than 600,000 men and women nationwide working to develop and market new medicines, surgical procedures, medical devices, and hospital equipment.[3] Castellani has promised that PhRMA will continue to support healthcare reform efforts in the United States and abroad. Specifically, PhRMA will focus on helping to successfully implement and improve the health reform legislation passed in 2010 under President Obama with a particular emphasis on rewarding innovation.[4]
Jeffrey Kindler, the chairman of Pfizer, when commenting on Castellani's move from the Business Roundtable to PhRMA, said, “John is the gold standard, and I’m extremely pleased that he will lead our team."[5]
Mr. Castellani succeeded Billy Tauzin, a former Republican congressman from Louisiana.[5]
The Business Roundtable
Before joining PhRMA, Mr. Castellani was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of leading U.S. corporations with a combined workforce of nearly 12 million employees and $6 trillion in annual revenues. The Business Roundtable was cited by The Financial Times as "the most influential chief executive lobbying group in the U.S." Mr. Castellani served at the Business Roundtable from May 2001 to July 2010.[5]
Under Mr. Castellani, the Roundtable played an important role in the adoption of tort reform legislation in 2005, approval of the Central America Free Trade Agreement, and passage of legislation to lower income tax rates and cut taxes on dividends and capital gains in 2003. He also was a leader of the coalition working for Social Security reform, the “Divided We Fail” partnership formed to urge legislation on health care reform and retirement security, and other initiatives to keep the United States competitive and a global hub of innovation.[4]
When leading the Roundtable Castellani worked against most important Democratic legislative efforts, including the health-care overhaul. But he was careful not make enemies. "During the health-care debate, some of the larger business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce . . . kept on attacking and attacking and really seemed to have partisan overtones," said Ron Pollack, president of Families USA, a group that strongly supported healthcare reform. "John distinguished himself as somebody who would try to be objective and thoughtful. . . . I think he will be a cooperative partner in the process of getting health reform implemented."[5]
Previous career
Prior to becoming President of the Business Roundtable, Mr. Castellani was Executive Vice President of Tenneco Inc. from 1992 to 1999 and part of the senior management team that led the transformation of the ailing conglomerate into seven strong companies.[4][5][6]
Mr. Castellani served as Vice President of State, Federal and International Government Relations for TRW, a major defense contractor, from 1980-1992 and as. Vice President for Resources and Technology with the National Association of Manufacturers from 1977 to 1980.[4][5]
He started his career at General Electric in 1972 as an environmental scientist and strategic planner and left the company in 1977.[4]
Media appearances
Mr. Castellani is regularly invited to be a guest on TV news programs such as NBC’s “Meet the Press,” PBS’ “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” and CNBC’s “Street Signs.” [4]
Non-profit work and community service
A graduate of Union College in Schenectady, New York, Mr. Castellani now serves on its board of trustees.[5] He is also an Ethics Resource Center Executive Fellow and a member of the Advisory Council of the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics in addition to being a member of The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.[4]
Castellani has served on the Connecticut Governor's Prevention Task Force as vice chair, on the board of directors of Keep America Beautiful, and on the U.S. Olympic Committee. He was president of the Business Government Relations Council and chair of the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority.[7]
Personal life
Castellani is originally from Skaneateles, New York and is a Roman Catholic. He is married to the former Therese Ann Mulroy. They have two sons.[6][7] Castellani is a graduate of Union College in Schenectady, New York.[4] He majored in biology and graduated in 1972.[6]
References
- ↑ "John Castellani". washingtonpost.com. December 10, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/john-castellani-ceo-of-phrma-appointed-to-pharmacist-partners-advisory-board-207374781.html
- ↑ We Work For Health
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Official biography, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America,
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Pharmaceutical group shifts tone with new pick for president, by N.C. Alzenman and Dan Eggen, The Washington Post, 14 July 2010
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 whorunsgov.com
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Alumni Albulm, Union College Magazine, Fall 2001