Novartis, GSK and Other Multinational Pharma Giants Announce Major Leadership Shuffles

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Industry DynamicsRecently, Novartis International announced a series of personnel changes to its employees. Effective June 1, Ingrid Zhang (Zhang Ying), the current President of Novartis China, has been appointed as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Novartis International, based in Basel. Leo Lee, the current President of Novartis Japan, has been appointed as the President of Novartis China. During the transition period, Keizo Miyazawa will serve as the interim President of Novartis Japan, overseeing Japanese operations.
 

Public information shows that Zhang Ying has worked at AstraZeneca and Pfizer. After joining Novartis in 2011, she held positions such as Chief Operating Officer of Novartis Pharmaceuticals (China), Head of Novartis Pharmaceutical Business in Poland, and President. Starting from April 2017, she began leading the pharmaceutical business of Novartis in China.
 

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 also carried out in the China region. Subsequently, Vivian Zhang was appointed as the President and Managing Director of Novartis Innovative Medicines China.
 

Starting from October 2023, Zhang Ying began serving as the President and Managing Director of Novartis China. During her tenure, the performance of Novartis China has continued to improve.
 

The financial report shows that Novartis' total revenue in 2023 was $45.44 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10%; among which, the revenue from the Chinese market was $3.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 17%. According to Novartis' Q1 2024 financial report, the performance income in the Chinese region was $1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 31%. In terms of products, the growth in the Chinese region's performance was mainly driven by Entresto for heart failure and hypertension treatment, and Cosentyx for autoimmune disease treatment.
 

In addition to Novartis, several multinational pharmaceutical companies have recently announced personnel changes. For example, on May 10, Mike Crichton, Senior Vice President of GSK Greater China and Intercontinental Region (GSK GCI), announced a major personnel change to employees. Cecilia Qi, the current Vice President of GSK and General Manager of China, has been appointed as the Vice President of GSK Greater China and Intercontinental Region and Head of Vaccines Business, while Sherman Yu will take over her role as Vice President of GSK and General Manager of China.
 

Public information shows that Qi Xin has worked for several foreign companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Merck. She joined GSK China in 2004 as the Marketing Director of the vaccine business and subsequently held positions such as General Manager of the Hepatitis Business Unit. In 2017, Qi Xin was appointed as the General Manager of GSK's Hong Kong and Macao regions in China, and in 2019 she was promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Vaccines in China. In January 2020, Fabio Landazabal, then Senior Vice President of GSK and General Manager of Emerging Markets and China, was transferred to the position of General Manager in Italy; Qi Xin took over as General Manager of GSK China. Under her leadership, the China team facilitated the approval and launch of 21 new products and indications while maintaining business growth.
 

GSK's 2023 financial report shows that GSK's total revenue for the full year of 2023 was £30.328 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5%; revenue excluding COVID-19 related businesses was £30.134 billion, a year-on-year increase of 14%. The adjusted operating profit was £8.786 billion, a year-on-year increase of 12%; the adjusted operating profit margin was 29.0%. The adjusted earnings per share were 155.1 pence, a year-on-year increase of 16%.
 

Reportedly, GSK plans to launch at least 12 significant new products starting in 2025, including innovative vaccines and specialty medicines in the fields of infectious diseases, HIV, respiratory, and oncology. Based on current progress, it is expected to achieve dual growth in revenue and profit again in 2024; meanwhile, it has also raised its growth outlook for 2026 and 2031.
 

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