John Stitt is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with more than 30 years of experience and deep expertise in Managed Markets, payer strategy, and financial leadership. He currently serves as Executive Director Payer Marketing for Merck’s Pharma Business Unit where he oversees a team of 25 payer marketers responsible for a $4.0B business and preparations for three significant product launches in hyperlipidemia, immunology, and retinal disorders beginning in 2026.
Throughout his career at Merck, John has built and led high-performing, cross-functional teams that operate across the enterprise to shape strategy and deliver results. He has played a key role in major market events and launches including:
• Leading payer teams for numerous launches
• Engaged in the MFP negotiations with CMS
• Guided US payer insights for key business development targets
• Engages regularly in establishing points of view on pricing and access policy
• Leads the implementation the impacts of policy on pricing and access
Previously, John held several senior finance and commercial roles at Merck, including leadership roles in Finance for Marketing and Selling, Gross to Net Accounting, Contract Operations, Government Pricing, and various leadership positions in financial planning, reporting, and transformation. Earlier in his career, he held financial roles at Independence Blue Cross and Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC).
John holds an MBA from Villanova University and a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics, with a major in Accounting, from Lehigh University. He is a Certified Public Accountant (license currently inactive) and is recognized for integrating payer marketing as a core capability for aspiring commercial leaders and for contributing to the implementation of agile ways of working.