Sandra E. Peterson is the chairman of the American Academy in Berlin.
Peterson is an operating partner at Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), where she spans consumer and healthcare investing and spearheads the firm’s efforts to create technology and digital capacity to support its investments and portfolio companies. Peterson is the lead independent director of the Microsoft board of directors. Prior to CD&R, she was group worldwide chairman of Johnson & Johnson, where her portfolio included medical devices, consumer, global operating infrastructure, technology, supply chain, and key strategic initiatives. Previously, Peterson served as Chairman & CEO of Bayer CropScience AG, CEO of Bayer Medical Care, and president of Bayer HealthCare AG’s Diabetes Care Division. She started her career at McKinsey and has held executive positions at Medco Health Solutions (formerly known as Merck-Medco), Nabisco, and Whirlpool.
Peterson is executive chairman of Volastra and a member of the board of Seaport Therapeutics and Zephyr AI, all early-stage life-science companies. She serves as international advisory board member to global strategic advisory firm Hakluyt & Company, as well as to Temasek Sovereign Wealth Fund. She is also on the board of the Institute for Advanced Study, the world- renowned center for science and humanities research in Princeton, NJ.
Peterson has appeared on FORTUNE Magazine’s list of Most Powerful Women numerous times and was featured on the magazine’s inaugural list of Leaders Who Are Changing Healthcare. She attended Princeton University (MPA, Applied Economics), and Cornell University (BA, Government).