Former D.C. City Administrator Robert Mallett, former president and CEO of District-based Africare, has been selected to be the new CEO of Rabin Martin, a New York City-based global health strategy firm.
“I am delighted that Robert Mallett is joining the Omnicom Public Relations Group as CEO of Rabin Martin,” John Doolittle, CEO, Omnicom Public Relations Group, said. Rabin Martin functions as a subsidiary under Omnicom, one of the world’s largest public relations firms with thousands of employees located in dozens of countries.
Doolittle praised Mallett’s skills and potential for contributions to the firm.
“Robert’s strong business acumen, passion for operational excellence and deep belief in the importance of talent, especially the critical role of diversity, equity and inclusion, will help him lead Rabin Martin to new successes,” he said.
Rabin Martin focuses on improving health outcomes for underserved communities through the designing of strategies, programs and partnering with various organizations to achieve that purpose, according to its website.
Rabin Martin’s clients include multinational health care companies, multilateral institutions, government agencies, large foundations and major non-governmental organizations, its website said.
Mallett, a graduate of Morehouse College and Harvard School of Law, served as the city administrator and deputy mayor of operations under D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly who led the District from 1991-1995. He later became acting secretary of Commerce during the Clinton administration in the mid-to-late 1990s.
After working for government, Mallett joined the private sector. He has worked for Pfizer where he co-managed a major cross-company initiative to expand global access to medicines and spearheaded a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar campaign to provide essential pharmaceuticals to vulnerable populations.
In addition, at Pfizer, Mallett expanded the Infectious Diseases Institute in Uganda and increased their effort to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in the sub-Saharan Africa and the U.S.
Mallett has also served as the executive vice president and general counsel for the Public & Senior Markets Group at United Healthcare and worked as the CEO of the Accordia Global Health Foundation before moving to Africare in 2015. At Africare, he addressed the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on African countries and sought to aid them by providing information and counsel about resources and anti-virus strategies.
At Rabin Martin, Mallett will work closely with Chairman Jeffrey Sturchio, an assignment he said he looks forward to.
“I have known and worked with Jeff for years, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate on Rabin Martin’s growth and evolution,” he said. “The agency’s depth of talent and skills, strong culture of service, amazing client roster, and range of challenges we help clients meet makes me enthusiastic about joining Rabin Martin and the path ahead.”
Sturchio, the previous CEO of Rabin Martin, said Mallett will be a good fit for the firm.
“I look forward to working with Robert as he leads Rabin Martin forward with the help of our diverse, multi-talented team,” he said. “His broad-based experience and impressive accomplishments will serve Rabin Martin well in his new role.”