Payal Becher

Chief People Experience Officer & Executive Vice President, Pfizer

Search every verified Payal Becher interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Payal Becher, Chief People Experience Officer and Executive Vice President at Pfizer, discussed her approach to hiring and career development in a September 2021 interview. She stated that Pfizer uses its four core values—courage, excellence, equity, and joy—as a filter for hiring decisions, and that these values are applied consistently across all locations. Becher noted that people often leave jobs not because of compensation, but because they stop growing, learning, or feeling respected. She emphasized focusing on capabilities such as digital skills and data insights rather than specific fields, and advised students to gain diverse experiences, describing her own career path as a "process of elimination." Becher also addressed workplace challenges during the pandemic, saying that managers and employees struggled with career growth while working remotely. She mentioned that Pfizer partnered with Thrive Global to offer employees a wellness day off. On decision-making, she said that there is rarely an answer that satisfies everyone, and that decisions should be guided by principles and values to ensure fairness and consistency.