CYNTHIA MERCHANT
Associate Director, Global Security | Novartis
Cynthia Merchant is an Associate Director, Global Security at Novartis and a 20-year veteran in the Global Security world. A journalist by trade, Cynthia parachuted into the security world first with Philip Morris International (tobacco) where she spent 10 years, going through several roles of increasing responsibility until her appointment as Director of Global Investigations. She then transitioned into pharmaceutical with Eli Lilly and Company where she spent five years before joining Novartis. She is an active member of several security and brand protection committees and was the first female Private Sector Chair of OSAC LARC as well as the first Chairwoman of ASIS Miami Corporate Liaison Committee.
Cynthia has a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism & Communications, a master’s degree in Global Management and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). She was born and raised in Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish and proficient in French. As a longtime female Latina in the Security field, Cynthia enjoys mentoring newcomers to the security field. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two grown sons as well as exercising, reading, scrapbooking and traveling.