Alexa Ceballos is the patient marketing director at Pfizer, where she creates brand campaigns for patients in the US, from market research insight to launching TV spots. She also leads Pfizer’s Young Latino Professional group, which has grown from 50 to 150-plus members globally under her tenure. Her passion is to increase the health literacy of the US population so individuals can make more informed health decisions and better their health outcomes.
What is your greatest career accomplishment to date?
My greatest career accomplishment to date was the launch of a disease awareness ecosystem to support adults living with ulcerative colitis. Through this program we were able to support and inspire patients to advocate for themselves [and] feel heard and understood in the multifaceted disease that is UC. I led the creation of an app which within a few months became the second-most downloaded app in company history and helped create in-person engagements for patients to engage in meaningful conversations about diet, emotional wellness, and their disease.
What is your greatest personal accomplishment to date?
The greatest personal accomplishment in my life to date is meeting my now-little-sister when I was twelve, volunteering at an orphanage in Caracas, and convincing my mom we needed to take her home. Isabelle is now a rising sophomore at University of Pennsylvania, and I could not be more proud of the person she is and is continuing to grow into. I am forever grateful for my instincts at a young age that knew I was still missing a sister.
What do you do today to impact your community?
I have to say, I am a “todera!” I love to get involved in many aspects of my community, but I am listing a few below:
- Leading the Young Latino Professionals group at Pfizer, helping empower, evolve, and connect early Latin talent within the community
- Being a Latino Community board member at Pfizer, spearheading talent development initiatives to impulse Latinos into more leadership positions in the organization
- Participating as a relationship manager of Consortium to increase recruitment of diverse talent into the marketing rotational program at Pfizer, giving back to the program which brought me to this company five years ago
- Being a board member of PanPeru USA, focused on increasing access to libraries and tech labs to children in underserved communities in Peru
- [Being] a fundraiser at heart, [I] most recently raised $1,000-plus to protect the Long Island Sound, raising awareness by paddling 26-plus miles in 10 days
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Continuing to lead with passion and have the freedom to give back. I hope to continue to have the time to give back to those things that are important to me, on both the large and small scale.
What is the biggest issue that you want to help solve, and why?
Latino immigrants succeeding in the United States. As I have moved through my career, I have realized I am surrounded less and less people with backgrounds like mine. This does not make me feel special, this makes me mad—we need to fill these gaps. I am still learning why this is the case and I spend a lot of time trying to change so, but there are still leaps and bounds of learning and execution that needs to happen to grow the amount of Latino talent in decision-making positions.
Who inspires your leadership?
In my family, four consecutive generations have had to flee their country (Spain and Venezuela) to create a future somewhere unknown. I think of those that came before me and their ability to create beautiful lives from seemingly nothing; it propels me to build community by taking on leadership opportunities and shaping the successful future we all seek.
What is a surprising hobby or interest that helps you stay creative and energized?
I love creating recipes to use up every last bit of our groceries! One of my pet peeves is food waste, so I use it as a motivator to get creative in the kitchen, try new combinations, and eat as much fresh produce as possible.
What is your Latino background?
I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, and came to the US as a political refugee in 2007.
What song do you listen to that motivates you?
“Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan and David Bisbal
