Johanna Mercier, Former BMS Commercial Executive, Joins Gilead Sciences as Chief Commercial Officer

On May 29, Gilead Sciences announced that Johanna Mercier will join the company as a member of its senior leadership team and serve as Chief Commercial Officer effective July 1. Laura Hamill, currently Executive Vice President responsible for global commercial operations, will depart from Gilead Sciences.

Johanna Mercier brings extensive global commercial operations experience across multiple countries and has held leadership roles in the therapeutic areas of oncology, inflammation, and neuroscience. Prior to joining Gilead Sciences, Inc., she served as President of Global Commercial Operations for the United States and major markets (France, Germany, and Japan) at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Her previous roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb included General Manager for the United Kingdom and Ireland, and President for European Markets, Australia, and Canada. In August 2017, Johanna Mercier became Head of U.S. Commercial Operations at Bristol-Myers Squibb, and in September 2018, she additionally assumed responsibility for commercial operations in major markets outside the United States, namely Germany, France, and Japan.

During the peak of Gilead Sciences’ business, its hepatitis C drugs Harvoni and Sovaldi generated approximately $6 billion in revenue within three months. However, this figure has since declined significantly. Although anti-HIV medications in its core portfolio continue to bolster Gilead’s revenue, competition with its primary rival, GlaxoSmithKline, is intensifying.

Amid shrinking revenues, Gilead Sciences has undergone significant changes in its senior leadership over the past year. John Martin stepped down as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gilead Sciences on March 1, 2019, and John F. Milligan is set to resign as President and Chief Executive Officer of Gilead Sciences by the end of 2018.

On December 9, 2018, Gilead Sciences announced that the Board of Directors had appointed Daniel O'Day as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, effective March 1, 2019.

Daniel O’Day has served as CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals since 2012. Prior to this, he was the head of Roche Diagnostics. Over his more than 30-year career, he has held multiple leadership positions in North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. This experience in leading global pharmaceutical leaders across regions and therapeutic areas is precisely what Gilead Sciences values.

Upon joining Gilead Sciences, Daniel’s immediate challenge is to address the departure of multiple senior executives this year.

Laura Hamill, the current Executive Vice President of Global Commercial Operations at Gilead Sciences, has also been in this role for a short time. She joined Gilead from Amgen just three months before Daniel’s appointment was announced, and her tenure has been less than a year.

Following Johanna Mercier’s appointment at Gilead Sciences to succeed Laura Hamill, Daniel’s next considerations will be the selection of a Chief Financial Officer and a Head of Oncology.