May 2026 MNC Executive Shuffle: Bayer Oncology Head Joins Roche, Sanofi Executive Moves to GSK; Takeda, BMS, and Bayer Announce Layoffs

In May, the pharmaceutical industry witnessed a major wave of job-hopping, with the movement of senior management talent becoming the focus of attention in the sector. As competition intensifies, the flow of top talent has become crucial to companies' strategic development.

On May 27, Han Shuang officially joined Roche Pharmaceuticals China's customer business interaction model in the oncology field and assumed the role of head of the breast cancer treatment area.

Before joining Roche, Han Shuang served as the Vice President of Bayer China's Prescription Medicine Division and the General Manager of the Oncology Business Unit. The Oncology Business Unit at Bayer was newly established in 2022, with Han Shuang as its first leader. She graduated from the Xiangya School of Medicine at Central South University with a degree in Clinical Medicine and worked as a clinical doctor for two years before entering the pharmaceutical industry. She has held positions at several multinational companies, including Novartis, Sanofi, Servier, and Bayer.

Han Shuang, as the new head of the breast cancer treatment field, will report directly to Qian Wei, General Manager of the Oncology Field at Roche Pharmaceuticals China Customer Interaction Model.

At the same time, GSK China also welcomed a new head of market excellence.

On May 27, Tang Ying, Head of Commercial Excellence at GSK China, announced that Xu Qing, the former Head of Marketing Excellence, will retire from the company. Wang Dong from Sanofi has joined GSK’s Commercial Excellence team as the new Head of Marketing Excellence, effective immediately. He will be based in Shanghai and report directly to Tang Ying, Head of Commercial Excellence.

Before joining GSK, Wang Dong served as the Head of Performance and Operational Excellence for Sanofi China's General Medicines Division. He graduated from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine with a degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. After graduation, he worked as a neurologist at the Tenth People's Hospital affiliated with Tongji University. He later entered the pharmaceutical industry, holding positions at Novartis, UCB, and Eli Lilly.

The entry of these two senior executives is not only a choice for personal career development but also a strategic move in the talent competition among pharmaceutical enterprises.

With the continuous development of the pharmaceuticals industry, the capabilities and vision of senior management are becoming increasingly crucial for a company's strategic planning and market performance. In a rapidly changingIn May, the pharmaceutical industry also saw frequent high-level personnel changes.

Multinational pharmaceutical companies

Takeda, BMS, Bayer Layoffs!

Earlier this month, Takeda Pharmaceutical mentioned in its fiscal year 2023 earnings report that, in order to alleviate operational pressures, Takeda plans to simplify its employee organizational structure, allocate approximately $900 million for restructuring, and streamline its drug pipeline.

Recently, Takeda Pharmaceutical disclosed its layoff plan, which will affect 641 employees at two locations in the Boston area of Massachusetts.

This plan aims to address the generic competition faced by Azilva (azilsartan) and Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) to enhance growth and profitability. Takeda stated that the plan will streamline certain department structures, optimize external spending, and improve the efficiency of supply chain and supplier management processes to increase the core operating profit margin to around 30%.

This round of layoffs is expected to begin in July and continue until March 2025, affecting 495 employees at Takeda's facility in Cambridge and 146 employees at its facility in Lexington.

Recently, when Bristol-Myers Squibb released its Q1 financial report, it announced plans to cut 2,200 jobs next year in order to achieve the goal of reducing costs by $1.5 billion by the end of 2025.

On May 14, Bayer disclosed its financial report for the first quarter of 2024, announcing a workforce reduction of approximately 1,500 positions, mostly in management, amid a slight decline in sales, while also revising downward its full-year profit outlook. CEO Anderson noted that the layoffs will help the company achieve its targets of continuously saving €500 million (US$540 million) in costs by 2024 and €2 billion (US$2.16 billion) by 2026.

Fresenius Kabi Huari General Manager Departs

On May 23, Ulf Jansson, Executive Vice President of Fresenius Kabi Asia Pacific, announced a major personnel change internally. Chen Guang, General Manager of Fresenius Kabi Huari, will leave Huari Company, and his position will be temporarily assumed by Yang Weiping, President and Chairman of Fresenius Kabi China, effective immediately.

Chen Guang joined Fresenius Kabi Huari Pharmaceutical in 2012 as the head of the Parenteral Nutrition and Anesthesia Division. In January 2022, he was promoted to Executive Vice General Manager of Fresenius Kabi Huari Pharmaceutical, and in July of the same year, he succeeded Zhuang Wenyan as the General Manager of Fresenius Kabi Huari Pharmaceutical.

Yang Weiping served as the General Manager of Beijing Fresenius Medical Co., Ltd. as early as 1994. After leaving in 2003, he returned to Fresenius Kabi in July 2005, serving as the Chairman and President of Fresenius Kabi (China) Investment Management Co., Ltd. He left again in September 2011, but on August 1, 2022, he rejoined Fresenius Kabi, taking up the positions of President and Chairman of Fresenius Kabi China.

Novartis China President Changes Leadership

On May 13, according to an internal email from Novartis, Ingrid Zhang (张颖), the current President of China, will be appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), based in Basel, Switzerland, leading the Commercial Launch Strategy (CLS) team headquartered in Basel.

Zhang Ying joined Novartis in 2011. In April 2022, Novartis underwent a global organizational restructuring, merging its two major business units, Pharmaceuticals and Oncology, into a single Innovative Medicines division. In the same year, Novartis Pharmaceuticals (China) and Novartis Oncology (China) were also consolidated into one entity.

Novartis stated in an email that under Zhang Ying's leadership, Novartis China delivered its first $1 billion quarterly performance in Q1 2024, with a year-on-year increase of 25% (+31% cc). She has demonstrated strong commercial strategic capabilities and deep country experience — first in Poland, and now in China, one of Novartis' top markets. Her robust leadership has proven to be invaluable.

At the same time, Leo Lee from Japan will be appointed as the President of the China region, based in China, effective June 1. Previously, Leo Lee served as the President and Managing Director of Novartis Innovative Medicines Japan.

Sanofi Chief Scientific Officer Resigns

On May 8, according to media reports, Sanofi's Chief Scientific Officer and Research Director, Dr. Frank Nestle, will leave the company. Nestle's departure is the highest-profile exit disclosed since Sanofi began implementing a "simplified R&D structure" globally last month.

Previously, when Sanofi updated the clinical trial information for SAR445419, it announced the closure of the NK cell therapy company acquired for nearly $400 million. SAR445419 is an allogeneic NK cell therapy developed by Sanofi for the treatment of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia. According to information from the U.S. clinical trials database, the phase I study of SAR445419 was terminated due to Kiadis' withdrawal, and Kiadis itself was also forced to "disappear" as a result of Sanofi's prioritization adjustments.

Nestle joined Sanofi in September 2016 as the global head of immunotherapy research and the chief scientific officer for North America. Four years later, he was promoted to global head of research and chief scientific officer of the entire company. From April 2021 to October 2022, Nestle served as the chairman of the board of Kiadis (now dissolved). With the "disappearance" of Kiadis, Nestle also left the company.

Local pharmaceutical companies

Three Directors of Yunnan Baiyao Resign

On the evening of May 26, Yunnan Baiyao announced that the company's board of directors had recently received written resignation reports from directors Chen Faxing, Lu Hongdong, and Chen Yanhui. According to the relevant provisions of the "Company Law" and the "Articles of Association," the resignation applications of the three directors took effect from the date they were delivered to the board.

The announcement stated that due to work adjustments, Chen Fashu has applied to resign from his positions as a director of the company's tenth board of directors, chairman of the board’s strategy committee, and member of the compensation and assessment committee. After his resignation, Chen Fashu will no longer hold any position in the company or its holding subsidiaries. Due to work adjustments, Lu Hongdong has applied to resign from his positions as a director of the company's tenth board of directors and member of the board’s strategy committee. After his resignation, Lu Hongdong will continue to serve as the company’s deputy party secretary. Due to work adjustments, Chen Yanhui has applied to resign from his positions as a director of the company's tenth board of directors and member of the nomination committee. After his resignation, Chen Yanhui will no longer hold any position in the company or its holding subsidiaries.

On the same day, adjustments were also made to the board of supervisors of Yunnan Baiyao.

Due to work adjustments, You Guanghui has applied to resign from the positions of supervisor and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the 10th Board of Supervisors at Yunnan Baiyao. Upon reaching the statutory retirement age, Zhong Jie has applied to resign from the positions of supervisor, Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Committee, as well as all roles held at Yunnan Baiyao and its holding subsidiaries. After resignation, Zhong Jie will no longer hold any position in Yunnan Baiyao or its holding subsidiaries.

United Imaging Healthcare CFO Position Adjustment

On May 23, United Imaging Healthcare announced that the board of directors of Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd. recently received the resignation report from TAO CAI, the company’s Chief Financial Officer and financial head. Due to work-related reasons, TAO CAI applied to resign from his positions as the company’s financial head and Chief Financial Officer. After his resignation, TAO CAI will continue to serve as a director, member of the Board Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, board secretary, and Chief Investment Officer. Following the nomination by GUOSHENG TAN, the company’s General Manager, the board agreed to appoint Wang Jianbao as the company’s new financial head and Chief Financial Officer.

According to publicly available information, TAOCAI was born in 1972 and is a U.S. national. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University, then went to the United States to earn a master's degree from New York University's Stern School of Business. He has held positions at Kodak (China) Co., Ltd., Vimicro Corporation, First Energy Systems Co., Ltd., and China Biologic Products Holdings, Inc., among others.

From 2016 to 2020, served as Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of United Imaging Healthcare; from 2020 to 2022, served as Board Secretary and Chief Investment Officer of United Imaging Healthcare; since 2022, has been serving as Director, Chief Financial Officer, Board Secretary, Chief Investment Officer, and Financial Controller of United Imaging Healthcare, with the term lasting until August 2026.

Chairman and Vice Chairman of China Pharmaceutical Resign

On May 15, China Pharmaceutical announced: Li Yadong resigned as chairman, legal representative, director, and related positions in the board's special committees; Wang Xiao resigned as vice chairman and director. Both left due to "work adjustments."

Li Yadong became the chairman of China Pharmaceutical Corporation in 2021, having previously served as the company's Party Secretary and director, among other roles. After resigning, he no longer holds any position at China Pharmaceutical Corporation. Wang Xiao assumed the role of vice chairman in May 2023.

After Li Yadong and Wang Xiao resigned, the board of directors of China Pharmaceutical nominated Yang Guang as a candidate for the director of the company's ninth board of directors.

Mr. Yang Guang, 49, holds a bachelor's degree and is a deputy chief physician. Yang Guang has served as the Party Committee Deputy Secretary and Deputy General Manager of Aerospace Medical Health Technology Group Co., Ltd., as well as the Chairman, Party Committee Secretary, and General Manager of General Technology Group Medical Health Co., Ltd. He currently serves as the Party Committee Secretary of China Pharmaceutical Corporation.