Career Biography

Muireann Mangan joined the Legal Division in Pfizer in 2007 and has held various roles acting as legal advisor to the Irish operations. Since May 2024, she is the Ireland Legal Director responsible for legal support across the diverse areas of all Pfizer operations in Ireland – including three manufacturing sites, sales and marketing operations, GBS hub activities, treasury and finance. Mangan is also Privacy Legal Lead for the Pfizer operations in Ireland.

Recognising the importance and value of the support and expertise of her in-house legal colleagues across the globe, she has a keen interest in building connections. As a result, she is an active member of the Connections workstream in the Pfizer Legal Division Community Committee to help increase connections and cooperation throughout the legal division.

Mangan sits on the Ireland Country Leadership Team where, as Legal Director , her focus is to prioritise and advise on legal strategic issues while as Risk Counsellor Lead, she employs a risk management cross functional approach to help deliver an advantage to Pfizer by understanding the business, managing risks, and providing innovative and useful legal solutions for the business. Muireann also sits on the Ireland Country Coordination Committee a cross site, Ireland team for Ireland wide coordination across all Pfizer Ireland operations

Mangan graduated from University College Cork, having completed a Law and French Degree (BCL), Post Graduate Law Degree (LLB) and a Masters Degree (MBS Government). Muireann received her Degree of Barrister-at-Law (BL) from the Honorable Society of King’s Inns and was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2010

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

In times of instability, it is crucial for legal to understand and align with the organisation’s key priorities and core business strategy. Pfizer’s purpose is to deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. In an ever-changing environment, whether driven by regulatory shifts, public health matters or geopolitical uncertainty, in legal we have helped protect and advise the organisation, while enabling the business to move forward confidently in line with its purpose and values. Time is life – reaching every patient faster is a key goal of our company. When there is heightened focus on execution and speed, our evolved new ways of working in legal, which are anchored in trust and partnership, introduce an empowered risk decision making framework, helping the business to act quickly while receiving the legal advice and support where they need it the most. At times of instability, we must work together with the business and be open to new ways of working, challenging convention, while engaging with compassion – looking towards the art of the possible with a one team spirit and mindset.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on, of which you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful?

As an in-house lawyer in the pharmaceutical industry over the last year I have seen a trend in the rise in digital health initiatives, exploring the use of AI in therapy and drug development and increasing scrutiny on data privacy and health research regulations. Lawyers across all industries but especially in pharma will need to be comfortable and agile in advising in the digital space and understanding technologies, enabling them to give strategic advice that supports innovation while managing risk and helping to bring breakthroughs and therapies to patients responsibly.