Lucid Group Appoints Former Pfizer R&D Leader Rod MacKenzie, CMG, PhD, as Board Chair to Drive Next Phase of Global Growth and Innovation
March 18, 2026 |
Appointment marks a pivotal step in Lucid’s next phase of growth, strengthening its ability to translate complex science into real-world impact.
Lucid’s US Medical Affairs division unveils new proprietary insights tools to expand advisory capabilities.
LONDON & PHILADELPHIA, March 18, 2026 – Lucid Group, a global leader in healthcare communications and commercialisation, today announced that Rod MacKenzie, CMG, PhD, former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer at Pfizer, has been appointed as the new Chair of the Lucid Group Board of Directors. Dr MacKenzie will succeed Andy Black, who retired from the Board following the end of his term.
This appointment reflects a shared mission with Lucid Group to transform lives by ensuring innovative medicine doesn’t stop at approval but reaches the patients who need it most. His leadership marks a pivotal step in Lucid’s next phase of growth, strengthening its ability to translate complex science into real-world impact.
“Dr MacKenzie’s career is defined by his dedication to patient outcomes and a deep understanding that breakthrough science only matters when translated into action,” said Rick Sannem, CEO of Lucid Group. “His arrival supports our shared vision that we don’t just help clients talk about their science, we uncover the defining insights that shape behaviour so life-changing medicines find their rightful place in the market.”
Dr MacKenzie spent 34 years at Pfizer, where he led the Global Product Development division and oversaw 6,000 professionals dedicated to advancing innovative medicines and vaccines. He played a critical role in the development of both the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and antiviral, Paxlovid, in addition to serving on Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team from 2016 to 2022. In recognition of his contributions to public health during the pandemic, he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
“Inventing and developing innovative medicines takes great science and execution. But translating that science into improved patient outcomes in clinical practice requires real strategic discipline,” said Dr MacKenzie. “Even brilliant science can struggle to break through, so innovative companies need a strategic partner like Lucid, whose integrated approach to solving complex challenges delivers changes in behaviours that successfully overcome treatment barriers. Lucid’s cre
ativity and unique data synthesis capabilities really stand out in the marketplace. I am thrilled to join the Lucid Board and share Lucid’s deep commitment to transforming lives across the globe.”
In addition to Dr MacKenzie’s appointment, Lucid’s US Medical Affairs division is unveiling new proprietary insights tools to expand its advisory capabilities at the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) conference in Denver from 22-25 March:
- Influence Amplifier™ – Closes the gap between communication and behaviour change by combining real-time behavioural insights, precision targeting, and adaptive analytics to expand peer-to-peer communication relevance and audience priorities.
- Impact Validator™ – Pinpoints precisely where efforts drive change through a five-step framework spanning clinical gaps and audience priorities, tailored interventions, omnichannel engagement, performance data, and adaptive refinement.
Together, these tools magnify and document scientific impact while delivering Precision Engagement™, a repeatable, self‑optimising cycle that continuously strengthens scientific influence, impact, and patient outcomes over time.
To demonstrate how Lucid Medical is enabling Medical Affairs teams to be strategic catalysts for change, it is offering free, 30-minute Impact Calibration™ sessions designed to map Medical Affairs teams’ current influence and spotlight opportunities for measurable growth.
About Lucid Group
Lucid Group, a global leader in healthcare communications and commercialisation, is driven by a mission to transform lives by bridging the gap between scientific discovery and patient impact. For life sciences organisations navigating their highest-stakes decisions, Lucid doesn’t just communicate science but ensures clients leave a lasting impact on the market and the patients they serve. Lucid brings together experts across Strategy Consulting, Scientific and Medical Communications, and Commercial Communications, fusing scientific rigour, strategic foresight, commercial ingenuity, creative storytelling, and deep human insight into an integrated force, powered by real-world evidence. This unique approach allows Lucid to uncover the ‘Lucid Truth’— the deep-seated insight that governs stakeholder behaviour and anchors bold, behaviour-changing ideas, executed at key moments and accelerated by AI and technology. To learn more about Lucid Group, visit www.wearelucidgroup.com and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts:
Chris Dougherty
CDougherty@reboundb2b.com
Elyse Cole
media@wearelucidgroup.com
This content was provided by Lucid Group Communications Limited
Company Details
Latest Content from Lucid Group Communications Limited
My Journey into MedComms #LucidLife
I began as a medical writer after almost a decade working in medical publishing as a production editor. Whilst working in publishing, I was exposed to lots of different writing...
International Women’s Day 2022 #BreakTheBias
Today is International Women’s Day. This day is about gender equality, which, to be achieved, must involve the calling out of gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping.Individually, we're all responsible for...
How I’m helping to #BreakTheBias: International Women’s Day
What do you think of when you imagine a scientist? Who do you see in a lab coat? Gender stereotypes and assumptions are rife and, as a child, the thought...
Extraordinary lives: advancing change in rare diseases
Rare Disease Day is all about raising awareness and generating change for the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease. On this day across the globe, the rare...
Extraordinary lives: advancing change in rare diseases
We are extending the conversation for Rare Disease Day by continuing to raise awareness and generate change for the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease, their families...
Placing people at Lucid’s heart: Paul Cutler, Lucid Group’s new Chief People Officer
We interviewed Paul Cutler, Lucid Group’s new Chief People Officer, to find out a bit more about what makes him tick, why he chose to join Lucid, and what his...
A Lucid Group social
The newly formed Lucid Social Committee is launching its first event for the year: Today, on Thursday 24 February Lucid will be hosting its inaugural board games night in both...
Lucid Group Welcomes a New Cohort of Graduates into its Futures Academy
We are excited to welcome this year’s cohort of graduates into our Lucid Futures Academy, which is now into its sixth year after being launched in Oct 2017.The Futures Academy...
We let your whole self shine
People are at the heart of who we are. Our aim is to transform the lives of those we touch without prejudice or discrimination. At Lucid, the magic we create...
Climbing my own Lucid Ladder
Transforming lives. That’s what Lucid is all about. I knew that even before I stepped through the fabled door of ‘Towers’ on a chilly January morning in 2019. It’s why...