Pfizer Inc. CFO to Address St. John’s University Graduates

Frank D’Amelio ’83MBA
May 14, 2021

Frank D’Amelio ’83MBA, the current Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Supply at Pfizer, will deliver the Commencement Address to the Class of 2021 during the St. John’s University Undergraduate Virtual Commencement and Degree Conferral Ceremony scheduled for Sunday, May 23, at 10 a.m.

Mr. D’Amelio earned a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance at St. John’s University’s Staten Island, NY, campus in 1983, attending part-time classes at night while working full time.

Known on the business world stage for his financial acumen, forthright candor, and ability to navigate and rehabilitate companies facing global challenges, Mr. D’Amelio is the product of modest local roots. He grew up as the oldest of five children raised in the working-class section of Hoboken, NJ. His mother was a homemaker and his father, a World War II veteran, owned a scrap metal yard that gradually evolved into a successful plumbing supply business. Mr. D’Amelio’s earliest exposure to business was a family one—and family is what his most important business remains.

As Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Supply at Pfizer, the American multinational pharmaceutical corporation—that, like St. John’s University, has its roots in Brooklyn—Mr. D’Amelio is on the frontlines of the global fight against COVID-19. Pfizer is living its purpose – Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives– through innovative medicines and working alongside community organizations worldwide to address the most pressing issues affecting vulnerable populations.

In his leadership role at Pfizer, Mr. D’Amelio is part of the global and collaborative efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccinate the world—a massive, but achievable, undertaking. Mr. D’Amelio and Pfizer remain fully focused on working with governments to get high-quality, safe, and effective COVID-19 vaccines to patients all over the world as quickly as possible.

Mr. D’Amelio began his professional career in 1979 at the famed AT&T Bell Labs, where he held a variety of financial, accounting, and general management positions. During nearly three decades of professional experience in telecommunications—at a time when the industry experienced both rapid growth and daunting challenges—Mr. D’Amelio steadily climbed the leadership ranks of AT&T; Lucent Technologies, Inc.; and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, including serving as both Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Lucent.

Before joining Pfizer, Mr. D’Amelio served as Senior Executive Vice President of Integration and Chief Administrative Officer of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, responsible for the 2006 Alcatel-Lucent merger, as well as procurement, real estate, information technology, and supply chain. In 1996, when Lucent was spun off from AT&T, it was Mr. D’Amelio who helped design the new company’s financial structure and took Lucent public.

Known for his bold decision making and extensive knowledge of the capital markets, Mr. D’Amelio played a crucial role in recapitalizing and restructuring the company. This culminated in the 2006 Alcatel-Lucent merger, where he has led the global integration of the two companies. He has extensive knowledge and broad experience working with the investment community, regulatory bodies, and rating agencies.

Mr. D’Amelio is a member of the Board of Directors of Humana, Inc and Zoetis, Inc. A beneficiary of a lifetime of Catholic education, he was a star football player at Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, NJ, and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. Peter’s University and an M.B.A. in finance from St. John’s University. Mr. D’Amelio resides in New Jersey with his wife, Carmel, and their three children.