Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, January 2026 — Laura Pagnotta has taken on the role of Vice President, External Affairs at Roche Canada, marking a significant leadership milestone in her long-standing career with the global healthcare leader. In her expanded mandate, Laura will lead Roche Canada’s external engagement, public affairs, government relations, health policy, advocacy, and strategic communications agenda, strengthening the organization’s partnerships across public and private sector ecosystems to advance access to meaningful healthcare innovation for Canadian patients.
She brings a deep understanding of healthcare systems, patient engagement, public policy, and corporate reputation management, built through nearly two decades of leadership across pharmaceutical, healthcare, and public relations sectors.
Laura’s career at Roche Canada spans over six years, where she most recently served as Vice President, Strategic Communications, following earlier leadership roles as Director, Strategic Corporate Communications and Director, Regional Access & Public Policy. In these roles, she played a critical part in strengthening Roche’s reputation, market access strategies, corporate communications architecture, and stakeholder engagement models across Canada.
Prior to her return to Roche, she served as Director of Communications & Marketing at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation, leading communications, marketing, and stakeholder engagement strategies for one of Ontario’s leading healthcare institutions.
Earlier, she was part of the Canadian leadership team at Baxter International Inc., serving as Head / Senior Manager, Communications, where she led corporate engagement, employee communications, and reputation management initiatives while contributing to enterprise strategy and market access objectives.
In the early phase of her career, Laura held senior agency leadership roles at MSLGROUP, NATIONAL Public Relations, and Edelman, where she built and scaled healthcare communications practices, led national public health campaigns, and supported government, pharmaceutical, and patient advocacy initiatives across Canada.
She also spent nearly a decade in progressive roles at Roche earlier in her career, serving as Manager, Corporate Relations and Manager, Professional Relations (Government Relations & Health Policy), where she acted as national spokesperson and championed equitable access to Health Canada–approved medicines.
About Roche Canada
Roche Canada is part of Roche’s global healthcare organization, dedicated to advancing personalized healthcare through the integration of diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. With a Canadian legacy dating back to 1931, Roche Canada continues to drive innovation, patient access, and sustainable healthcare outcomes through science-led solutions that improve patient lives across the country.
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