Eli Lilly Leadership Reshuffle- Names New CFO, Replaces Head Of R&D
Indiana-based global pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, has now announced important leadership changes. The firm has named a new CFO and replaced the head of its research and development arm, weeks after the drugmaker announced layoffs to cut costs.
Company Treasurer Josh Smiley will become CFO on Jan. 1 to replace Derica Rice who announced his retirement in June. Dan Skovronsky, a senior vice-president, will become president of R&D arm Lilly Research Labs on June 1, 2018, taking the place of Jan Lundberg, who will retire.
The retirement of Derica Rice, the current CFO, had already been announced back in June, he will leave the company after 27 years at the company and had held the position for over a decade. He will be replaced by Josh Smiley, who has plenty of experience working in a number of roles at the company, including previously having held the role of CFO of Lilly Research Laboratories and will step up from his current position as Treasurer.
In the other major switch, Skovronsky will lead Lilly Research Labs, replacing Jan Lundberg in June 2018. Lilly noted that Lundberg’s leadership of the unit was particularly
successful, as he oversaw the development of 20 new medicines in the course of 10 years.Jan Lundberg was the executive vice president for science and technology and president of Lilly Research Labs, will retire at the end of May 2018 after eight years with Lilly. Prior to joining Lilly he served for 10 years as global head of discovery research at AstraZeneca. Lundberg’s tenure marks a period of tremendous R&D output with Lilly poised to launch as many as 20 new medicines in 10 years. The company improved late-stage success rates and shortened the clinical development timelines under Lundberg’s leadership.
The changes saw Myles O’Neill promoted to Senior Vice President and President of Manufacturing Operations, taking over the position from Maria Crowe, a veteran of 35 years at the company.
Maria Crowe, president of manufacturing operations, will retire in December after 35 years of service. She joined Lilly in 1982 and since 2012 has led the company’s global manufacturing network of 14 sites on four continents. Previously, Crowe served as senior vice president global drug product manufacturing, which included emerging markets manufacturing, drug product operations and U.S. distribution. She also served as vice president for drug product manufacturing in the U.S. and Latin America; general manager of Lilly del Caribe in Puerto Rico and general manager of Lilly’s plant in Kinsale, Ireland.
As well as this Aarti Shah, current Chief Information Officer, was named an executive officer. Positioning the information technology function as a direct report to the CEO is critical given the role digital technology and analytics will play in the future of healthcare.
All of the appointment, barring Skovronsky, will take up their respective positions on 1 January 2018.
“Joining our executive team are individuals who have the experience, expertise and leadership skills to build on our momentum of innovation driven volume growth,” said David Ricks, Lilly’s chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement. “Importantly, this team will help us maintain focus as we work to bring forward new medicines in diabetes, cancer, immunology, neurodegeneration and pain and change the path of serious diseases.”
