Geralyn Ritter

Geralyn Ritter is Executive Vice President, External Affairs and ESG for Organon, leading the global communications, public policy and government affairs, and ESG sustainability functions of the company. She is focused on advancing Organon’s vision by developing the company’s strategy in each of these areas, leading its implementation, and engaging with the company’s many stakeholders.

Geralyn joined Organon from Merck, where she served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Assistant General Counsel advising Merck’s board of directors and executive team and leading shareholder engagement on corporate governance matters. During this time, Geralyn was also Head of Global Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility from 2012 to 2014, the Merck department she joined in 2008, and until 2014, was also responsible for public policy, government affairs, ESG reporting and corporate philanthropy. Geralyn also served as President of the Merck Foundation and led the creation of Merck for Mothers, a global initiative to end maternal mortality. Previously, Geralyn worked at PhRMA, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP.

A survivor of traumatic injury, Geralyn is a passionate advocate, author and frequent speaker on the topics of resilience, wellness and trauma recovery. Her book, “Bone by Bone,” was published in 2022. She co-chairs the Patient and Family Advisory Council at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and is a board member of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, Business for Social Responsibility, and Power to Decide.

Geralyn received a master’s degree in international economics and European politics from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at The John Hopkins University, a J.D. from Stanford University School of Law, and an undergraduate degree from Duke University.