Microsoft Nominates GSK CEO Emma Walmsley to Board as Part of Strategic Push into Healthcare

According to FiercePharma, Microsoft Corporation has nominated Emma Walmsley, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), as a member of its board of directors, with confirmation expected at Microsoft’s annual shareholders’ meeting on December 4 this year. Clearly, once appointed, this move will hold potential strategic value for both companies in their respective fields.

Emma Walmsley

In a statement, John Thompson, Independent Chairman of the Board of Directors of Microsoft, said, “Emma Walmsley is a successful business leader who has spearheaded significant advances in R&D at GSK. She will bring her valuable insights into the healthcare sector and her global experience to Microsoft, serving as a strong addition to the Microsoft Board of Directors.”

According to GSK’s 2018 Annual Report, Emma Walmsley currently holds no positions at other companies. Her only two external appointments are as Co-Chair of the Consumer, Retail and Life Sciences Committee of the UK Government’s advisory group, and as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

As GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) accelerates its digital transformation and Microsoft deepens its involvement in the healthcare sector, this appointment could benefit both companies.

In 2017, shortly after succeeding Andrew Witty, Emma Walmsley established the new role of Chief Digital and Technology Officer at GSK and appointed Karenann Terrell, formerly Chief Information Officer at Walmart, to lead the department. Terrell’s job description included developing digital, data, and analytics strategies for drug research and development.

In recent years, Microsoft has steadily increased its business investments in the healthcare sector and established Microsoft Healthcare in mid-2018, an upgrade to the company’s Healthcare NExT initiative launched in 2017.

Peter Lee, Vice President of Microsoft Healthcare, stated in a blog post at the time, “This will help global healthcare providers and biotechnology companies leverage artificial intelligence and cloud technologies to drive innovation.”

Microsoft, in collaboration with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and with the assistance of DNAnexus, has created what is known as the world’s largest public repository of pediatric cancer genomic data, hosted on the cloud. The platform provides analytical and visualization tools to assist researchers in drug development efforts.

GSK, led by Emma Walmsley, has been investing in large-scale genetic data. As early as late 2017, GSK invested £40 million (approximately $50 million) to expand its genomic research partnership with UK Biobank, aiming to sequence the genetic data of 500,000 volunteers to help accelerate drug development.

In July 2018, GSK made a $300 million equity investment in 23andMe, with plans to leverage genotypic and phenotypic data to streamline clinical trial enrollment and drug target discovery. During GSK’s second-quarter 2018 earnings call, Emma Walmsley described the investment as one of GSK’s most significant milestones.

Meanwhile, Microsoft struck a deal with Seattle-based Adaptive Biotechnologies in early 2018. The two companies are working to develop blood-based diagnostics by leveraging clues provided by the immune system.