EY CFO Outlook: Navigating Pharma Finance with Rob Morrissey, CFO, AstraZeneca Ireland Commercial

In this episode of the EY CFO Outlook podcast, Rob Morrissey, CFO of AstraZeneca Ireland Commercial operations joins host Dearbhail McDonald to talk about his unconventional career journey, AstraZeneca’s growth plans, the role of AI in finance, and why empathy and compassion matter so much to him as a leader. 

Rob Morrissey’s path into finance was something of an accident. Having spent childhood summers helping on a farm in Wexford, and not being a natural ‘numbers person’, Rob was initially attracted to studying agricultural science at third level. However, without a farm to go to, he chose business studies. When the college Registrar accidentally placed Rob into the accounting module, he reluctantly decided to stick with it, and the rest is history. 

After qualifying as a chartered accountant, Rob entered the jobs market during the economic recession of the late 2000s and was unable to find work for a significant period of time, an experience that he found both humbling and made him more resilient. However, when he successfully applied for a maternity cover contract in AstraZeneca, Rob’s search was over and his journey to CFO began. 

Today, Rob leads financial strategy, governance, and long-term planning for the AstraZeneca Ireland Commercial operations which is a subsidiary of one of the world’s top science-led biopharma companies, with over 95,000 employees across 80 countries, selling products into 125 markets. 

They also discuss:

• How the CFO role has evolved into more of a strategic business partner. He talks about safeguarding the company’s assets but also driving the company’s performance and innovation.
• AI and Digital Transformation - embracing AI tools while upskilling to stay ahead in a changing finance landscape.
• Sustainability and Community Impact - AstraZeneca’s switch to electric vehicles and community initiatives including clean coasts, tree planting, and community gardens.
• Work-Life Balance and Leadership Philosophy - how becoming a parent helped Rob find better balance and explains why empathy and compassion matter in leadership.