The global firm Jones Day announces that Toni-Ann Citera, who most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance and Risk Officer for Celgene Corporation, returns to Jones Day as a partner in the Firm’s Business & Tort Litigation Practice, based in its New York Office. In her Celgene role, Ms. Citera sat on the executive committee of the company and reported directly to the CEO as well as the audit committee of the Board of Directors.
During her time at Celgene, Ms. Citera led a compliance organization of more than 60 personnel covering 36-plus countries while working as a strategic partner to the business. As Chair of the company’s Internal Investigations Committee, she oversaw the company’s internal investigations, driving both the transformation of the investigation process, as well as the actual investigations. In partnership with Celgene’s Finance department, Ms. Citera launched and implemented an Enterprise Risk Management Program that enhanced business processes and controls. Early in her tenure, she developed and led a compliance initiative that, given its appeal and impact, was adopted as a company-wide campaign to positively shape corporate culture. More recently, Ms. Citera assisted with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s acquisition and integration of Celgene in 2019 and the divestiture of a key product to Amgen.
“After serving on an executive team of a world-leading, multinational biopharmaceutical company, Toni brings a unique perspective that will greatly benefit the Firm’s clients at this critical time,” said John Majoras, co-chair of Jones Day’s Business & Tort Litigation Practice. “Her extensive leadership experience in internal investigations and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical industry has expanded her already-significant legal skills and business judgment. We are very excited to have her back.”
Before joining Celgene, Ms. Citera spent 22 years at Jones Day, most recently as a partner in the Firm’s Business & Tort Litigation Practice, where she represented companies in high-stakes civil and criminal investigations and litigations, with a focus primarily on the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and health care industries. She advised biopharmaceutical clients in putative class actions; False Claim Act (FCA) litigations; Department of Justice and state investigations and related federal, state, and multidistrict consumer class and individual actions related to off-label marketing, kickbacks, pricing, Medicaid rebates, and PBM relationships. Her representations included securing favorable settlements and no corporate integrity agreements in investigations and litigations involving several pharmaceutical companies including Celgene and one of the world’s largest producers of generic injectable pharmaceuticals. Ms. Citera also advised one of the world’s leading diagnostic companies in a government investigation and litigation matter alleging kickbacks in its discounting practices, where she secured dismissal of the complaint.
“We are thrilled to welcome Toni back to Jones Day. She has achieved numerous favorable outcomes for clients in her time at Jones Day and we look forward to her doing so again,” said Lee DeJulius, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day’s New York Office. “She brings valuable knowledge, at a time of significant importance, and our clients will benefit greatly from her experience, guidance, and counsel.”
Ms. Citera is the recipient of the 2015 Flex Success Award from the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance and in her time at Jones Day she co-chaired the Firm’s Diversity Committee and New York Office’s Women’s Initiative.
