Leadership Shake-up Across Global Pharma in June: Major Executive Changes at Novartis, Merck, Sanofi, Pfizer, Bayer, Lilly, and Chinese Biotechs

In recent years, with increasing competition in the pharmaceuticals industry and changes in the global economic environment, the healthcare industry has accelerated its reforms. Pharmaceutical companies have continuously adjusted their strategies and organizational structures. From the start of 2024 until now, major domestic and international pharmaceutical enterprises have frequently implemented strategic adjustments and personnel changes.

Entering June, the pace of personnel changes remains unabated. Major multinational pharmaceutical giants such as Novartis, Eli Lilly, Sanofi, GSK, Bayer, Pfizer, as well as local companies like Zai Lab, Hutchmed, and China Resources Pharmaceutical, have all announced personnel changes.

Personnel Changes in Some Pharmaceutical Companies in June

Source of the image: Collated from public information

Novartis China Changes Leadership
"Female General" Zhang Ying's Promotion

Novartis announced that effective June 1, 2024, Zhang Ying, President of Novartis China, will be appointed as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Novartis International, leading the Novartis Commercial Launch Strategy (CLS) team.

Zhang Ying has previously worked at AstraZeneca and Pfizer. After joining Novartis in 2011, she held positions such as Chief Operating Officer of Novartis Pharmaceuticals (China), Head of Pharmaceuticals and President of Novartis Poland, and has been leading Novartis China’s pharmaceuticals business since April 2017.

In April 2022, Novartis underwent a global organizational restructuring, merging its pharmaceuticals and oncology divisions into the Innovative Medicines Division. The same merger of the two business units was implemented in the China region. Subsequently, Vivian Zhang was appointed as President and Managing Director of Novartis Innovative Medicines China. Starting from October 2023, Vivian Zhang assumed the role of President and Managing Director of Novartis China, during which time Novartis China's performance has continued to improve.

According to Novartis' financial report, in 2023, Novartis' total revenue was $45.44 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10%; of which, the revenue from the Chinese market was $3.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 17%; in Q1 of 2024, the performance income in the Chinese region was $1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 31%.

As Zhang Ying is promoted, Leo Lee, the current president of Novartis Japan, will assume the role of president in China. During the transition period, Keizo Miyazawa will serve as the interim president of Novartis Japan, overseeing the Japanese operations.

Head of Merck China Vaccine Division
Joining Sanofi

Early June, MSD China announced that Tang Xiaochun, head of the vaccine division and assistant vice president, had left. His last working day at MSD was June 17.

On June 18, it was publicly announced that Tang Xiaochun joined Sanofi to serve as the General Manager of Sanofi Vaccines for Greater China. He will become a member of the Vaccine Division’s Management Committee and the China Strategic Leadership Team.

In 2018, Tang Xiaochun left AstraZeneca to join MSD China, serving as the Executive Director of the Oncology Medical Affairs Department. He was responsible for the successful launch of multiple indications of Keytruda. On January 6, 2021, MSD announced a senior management adjustment in its China organization. The current General Manager of the Vaccines Division, Peng Laili, will complete her term and step down in April this year. MSD China has appointed Tang Xiaochun to take over as head of the Vaccines Division, overseeing the overall commercial strategy of the vaccine business in China, including sales, marketing, government affairs, market access, and supply chain management.

Since the beginning of 2024, in response to the "Play to Win" initiative, Sanofi has successively abandoned multiple oncology projects acquired from Denali, Kymab, and Amunix, reduced collaborations, and simplified its R&D structure. It comes as no surprise that adjustments have also been made to the senior management structure at Sanofi.

Pfizer Brings in Wall Street Analysts
Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer

Wall Street analyst Andrew Baum succeeded Aamir Malik, Pfizer's former U.S. Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President, as Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer and Executive Vice President on June 3, 2024.

After joining, Andrew Baum will be responsible for advancing Pfizer's long-term corporate strategy planning to maximize value for patients and shareholders. He will also oversee business development (BD) efforts, strengthen Pfizer's partnerships with biotech companies, and evaluate the commercial value of the R&D pipeline.

In addition, Andrew Baum will serve as the chairman of Pfizer's Portfolio Management Team, the highest-level management body within Pfizer. This team is responsible for pipeline portfolio management and capital deployment in research and development, ensuring that Pfizer delivers vaccines and drugs most likely to address unmet patient needs while achieving strong commercial returns and improving drug accessibility. Prior to joining Pfizer, Baum served as the Global Head of Healthcare at Citi and as a Managing Director of Equity Research.

Bayer's Global Biotechnology Leader Changes

On June 11, Dr. Jens Vogel, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Biotechnology at Bayer, announced his departure from the company after four years of service to pursue new career opportunities.

Vogel joined Bayer in March 2020 to lead the company’s integrated global biotechnology network, including biologics development, operations and product supply, technology development, as well as strategic functional roles across the United States and Europe. Prior to this, Vogel worked at Boehringer Ingelheim for nearly 11 years, holding various leadership positions.

Although Vogel did not specify the reasons for his resignation, his departure coincides with Bayer's large-scale restructuring. In January this year, Bayer announced the launch of a comprehensive business reform. In the first three months of 2024, Bayer reduced more than 1,500 positions, about two-thirds of which were management roles. By the end of March, Bayer had fewer than 98,200 employees, a year-on-year decrease of 3.5%. By the end of 2024, each division of Bayer will begin operating under the "Dynamic Shared Ownership" model, and Bayer will continue to adjust its workforce.

Bayer's New Global Head of Biologics Manufacturing, Tina Self, Will Assume Her New Role on June 1. Her Most Recent Position Was Vice President and Plant Manager of Bayer Berkeley, Located in California. She Was Also the Site Head of the Berkeley Facility and the First Female Leader to Hold This Position in Bayer’s History.

Eli Lilly Veteran Resigns as CFO

On June 5, Eli Lilly and Company announced that Anat Ashkenazi had resigned from her position as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to pursue career opportunities outside the pharmaceutical industry. Anat Ashkenazi joined Eli Lilly in 2021 and has extensive financial experience within the company, having held various financial and strategic roles. Ashkenazi will continue to serve as a member of Eli Lilly's Executive Committee until July 2024.

Since Ashkenazi took over as CFO of Eli Lilly and Company more than three years ago in 2021, the company's stock price has soared by approximately 300%, reaching a market value of $791 billion. Prior to her role as Eli Lilly’s CFO, Ashkenazi served as Senior Vice President and Controller of Eli Lilly Research Laboratories, overseeing the financial operations of the company’s commercial business as well as its R&D, manufacturing, quality, finance, and administrative functions. She also led Eli Lilly's strategy team and business transformation unit. Before that, she held various financial leadership roles in multiple global business areas, including oncology and diabetes.

Ashkenazi Leaves; Eli Lilly Says It Is Actively Seeking Her Successor Both Internally and Externally.

Zai Lab Veteran Announces Retirement

On June 11, Zai Lab announced that Dr. Harald Reinhart, President and Global Head of Development for the Central Nervous System, Autoimmune, and Infectious Diseases (NSAilD) therapeutic areas, will retire at the end of June after completing his distinguished career and will serve as a senior advisor to Zai Lab. Following Dr. Reinhart’s retirement, Dr. Rafael Amado, President and Global Head of Oncology R&D at Zai Lab, will expand his responsibilities to oversee all global R&D operations of the company.

Dr. Rafael G. Amado joined Zai Lab in December 2022 as President, Head of Global Oncology R&D, leading and managing the company’s global oncology research and development efforts. Prior to joining Zai Lab, Dr. Amado served as Chief Medical Officer of Adaptimmune, LLC.

Before joining Adaptimmune, Dr. Amado held several key positions at GlaxoSmithKline from 2008 to 2015, eventually serving as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Oncology R&D; and worked at Amgen from 2003 to 2008 as Executive Director of Clinical Research and Global Development in the oncology field.

Major Shakeup in Connect Biopharma's Management Team

On June 12, Connect Biopharma's CEO Wei Zheng and President & Chairman Wubin Pan both submitted their resignations on June 10, which took effect on June 12. While announcing the departure of the two founders, Connect Biopharma also announced the new successors: Kleanthis G. Xanthopoulos as Chairman of the Board; Barry Quart as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board; and David Szekeres as President.

The newly appointed CEO, Barry Quart, formerly served as Senior Vice President of Global R&D at Pfizer, bringing over 30 years of extensive experience in leadership roles at biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. He has been instrumental in the development of innovative pharmaceutical products and personally led several early-stage biotech companies through late-stage clinical development and regulatory strategies.

Conclusion

Against the backdrop of continuous changes in the global pharmaceuticals industry, talent mobility reflects multinational and local pharmaceutical companies constantly adjusting their strategies to address new trends in industry development.

In the future, the adjustment of personnel and organizational structure in the entire pharmaceuticals industry will continue.

References: Public information from various channels

Editor: Muyan

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent the position of Pharma Intelligence. We welcome discussions and additional insights in the comment section; for reprints, please be sure to credit the author and source. If there are any issues regarding the content, copyright, or other aspects of the article, please leave a message on this platform, and we will address it promptly.