Novartis China Announces Leadership Overhaul and Strategic Product Pipeline Update
Novartis China
Innovative Drug Developer
On March 3, 2025, Li Yao, President of Novartis China, announced an important personnel appointment: Tian Yu, the current head of the immunotherapy field at Novartis China, will be promoted to President of Novartis Poland, while Wang Jia, the current head of ophthalmology, transplantation, and central nervous system treatment fields at Novartis China, will take over as the head of the immunotherapy business in China. Both appointments will take effect on April 1, 2025.
Tian Yu: A Benchmark Figure in the Pharmaceutical Industry from China to the World
Tian Yu's career is a "textbook example" in the pharmaceuticals industry. She graduated from Peking University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and later returned to China after earning a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Yale University. In 2010, she joined Boston Consulting Group as a director, where she stood out in the consulting field with her strategic vision and data analysis capabilities.
In 2015, Tian Yu joined Novartis Oncology (China), holding positions such as Head of Strategy, Director of the Solid Tumor Market, and Sales Director of the North China region. In 2018, she was promoted to Head of the Solid Tumor Business Unit, leading the commercialization of multiple oncology products. In 2020, she moved to MSD China, and during her tenure as head of the Oncology Business Unit, successfully drove the self-pay market strategy for the PD-1 inhibitor "Keytruda," helping it reach the top position in China's immuno-oncology therapy market by 2022.
In November 2022, Tian Yu returned to Novartis to take on the role of Head of the Immunology Treatment Area for Innovative Medicines in China. Under her leadership, Novartis’ two core immunology products are the psoriasis drug "Cosentyx" and the anti-IgE drug "Xolair".Olaired achieved rapid growth, consolidating Novartis' leadership position in China's immunology market. With this transfer to Poland, she follows Zhang Ying (who served as President of Novartis Poland in 2015) as another executive transitioning from China to international operations, highlighting the global competitiveness of China's pharmaceutical talent.
Wang Jia: A Senior Novartis China Professional Takes the Helm in Immunotherapy through Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
Wang Jia, the successor, is a benchmark figure who has grown within the Novartis system. Since joining Novartis in 2003 as a regional manager, he has gone through various business fields such as hepatitis, immunology, metabolism, and transplantation. In recent years, he has led the integration of the ophthalmology and central nervous system therapeutic areas. After the global restructuring of Novartis in 2022, he was appointed as the head of the Ophthalmology, Transplantation, and Central Nervous System (OTN) therapeutic areas, demonstrating cross-field collaboration capabilities.
Taking over an immunotherapy team of 2,000 people, Wang Jia faces a dual challenge: maintaining the growth momentum of Cosentyx and Xolair in a highly competitive market while accelerating the launch of Novartis’ new pipelines in the autoimmune field (such as Remibrutinib and new indications for IL-17A). Li Yao, President of Novartis China, praised Wang as someone who "combines strategic vision with execution resilience," which may inject new energy into the team.
From Tian Yu to Wang Jia, Novartis China is driving business innovation through talent iteration. In the future, can the field of immunotherapy achieve further success under Wang Jia's leadership? And what international journey will Poland witness for Tian Yu? Let us wait and see!
Source: Medical Representative
