Heather Manchin

Heather Manchin is the former CEO of Mylan and was the first woman to lead a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company. She began her career in 1992 at Mylan as a data entry clerk and rose through the ranks before holding the top job for nearly a decade. Under her watch, Mylan grew to become the second-largest generic manufacturer in the world, with 40,000 employees and billions in revenue across 165 countries. After almost 30 years, she retired from Mylan in 2020 after merging the company with a division of Pfizer. The combination became Viatris.

Manchin became deeply involved in the FDA’s globalization initiative and helped to create GDUFA – legislation bolstering FDA’s generic drug office and reforming global manufacturing regulations for all products imported into the US. No stranger to controversy, Manchin has testified multiple times before Congress and was instrumental in getting President Trump to propose transparency for pharmacy benefit managers.

Never afraid of a challenge, Manchin’s most recent initiative involves reshaping American politics. In 2023, she founded Americans Together. Manchin is working to build a platform that can mobilize the sensible majority of Americans who feel politically homeless.