Patrick Ryan
Executive Director, Global Communications - Merck
Patrick Ryan leads External Affairs at Merck & Co., Inc., a Fortune 75 global biopharmaceutical leader. In this role, Patrick leads a team focused on protecting, defending and enhancing the company's reputation through the development and execution of enterprise communications strategies. Working across business functions, he manages and measures Merck’s reputation among key audiences and stakeholders, including policymakers, HCPs and patients, among others. In this capacity, Patrick also leads the company’s Policy Communications and Sustainability Communications functions. During Patrick’s tenure, Merck has been recognized as one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" by Fortune, one of the "Best Companies for ESG" by Barron's and one of Newsweek's "Most Responsible Companies," ranking #1 in Healthcare & Life Sciences. Patrick has supported the development of reputation measurement dashboards, enterprise societal issues decision-making frameworks. He also leads Merck's sustainability and impact communications, driving greater awareness of the company’s sustainability and governance commitments. Before Merck, he held senior positions at Real Chemistry (W20 Group) and Hill & Knowlton, counseling clients across a diverse spectrum of industries. He also worked as a producer at Fox Business Network.