Richard Jarvis

Head of Strategy & Financial Communications at Novartis

Richard is a multi-facetted pharmaceuticals leader, currently heading the Strategy & Financial Comms team for Novartis, where he leads a team of media relations professionals working closely with Novartis CEO and Executive Committee members to share the Novartis story with top tier media outlets globally, and in the home market, Switzerland.

Richard joined Novartis in 2004, as an Investor Relations manager in Basel. Promoted to Vice President, Investor Relations in 2008, he relocated to the US to lead the North American IR team, based in New York City.

In 2012, Richard moved to take on the role of head of Corporate Affairs for Novartis in the UK. He led Public and Government Affairs across the Novartis group during the company’s strategic shift from a conglomerate to a focused innovative medicines company, and through the UK’s exit from the EU. He was part of the Novartis UK Country Leadership Team as well as the Pharmaceuticals Executive Committee and served as a Director of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and of the Novartis UK Pension Trustee Company.

He began his career in drug development at the Wellcome Foundation (now GSK), initially in the laboratory and subsequently in global regulatory affairs, before moving to sales and marketing roles in the UK affiliate. In 2000, he left GSK to join investment bank Nomura, and latterly private bank Pictet & Cie, in London, as an equity research analyst covering pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

Richard holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Sciences from the University of Leeds, UK. He lives in Basel with his wife and dog and enjoys mountain biking and back country skiing in his spare time. His two children are studying at universities in the UK.