Pfizer’s Measurement Maven

Growing up in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, Brynne Colella found herself equally drawn to creative and analytical pursuits. She considered studying art and architecture before deciding to major in math, with a concentration in actuarial science, at the University of Buffalo. After a brief post-graduation stint as a business intelligence analyst at Publicis Health Media, Colella joined insurance nonprofit Healthfirst as an actuary.

All the while, she kept looking to find a way to marry her aptitudes in art and science. “I was all over the place. I probably changed my major 30 times,” Colella recalls with a laugh. “It took me a little while to understand what I didn’t want out of a career.”

It might have taken longer than she initially anticipated, but Colella cracked the code. Only seven years after graduating from college, Colella occupies a pivotal role on Pfizer’s HCP media team. As senior manager, media measurement and optimization, she’s responsible for evolving the company’s measurement capability in and around oncology.

It’s a position that demands analytic rigor and creativity in equal parts. It’s also an increasingly high-profile one within the well-regarded Pfizer media team.

“The goal is to use data to make our media more sophisticated,” Colella explains. “We don’t just want to be up to speed in that space. We want to be a leader.”

Pfizer global lead of media measurement, optimization and web analytics Kate Duffy, who hired Colella right out of...