Former Novartis Pharma Business Head Takes on CEO Mantle at Sanofi

At a June 6, 2019 board meeting, Sanofi’s board of directors unanimously appointed Paul Hudson as CEO of the Group to succeed Olivier Brandicourt, who has decided to retire, Sanofi announced in a June 7, 2019 press release. Hudson was formerly CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals and a member of the executive committee of Novartis. Hudson will move to Paris to replace Brandicourt, effective Sept. 1, 2019.

Hudson has garnered strong international leadership experience, particularly in the United States, Japan, and Europe. He has served in various management positions at major pharmaceutical companies, including Schering Plough, AstraZeneca, and Novartis

"We are very pleased that Paul Hudson has agreed to join Sanofi. His skills and experience give him all the assets he needs to accelerate growth and lead the Group's adaptation to new strategic challenges, particularly in the areas of [r]esearch and [d]evelopment and digital. His human values will enable him to mobilize all the energies and increase the agility that a group such as Sanofi needs to face the new challenges of our industry and the changes in healthcare systems around the world,” said Serge Weinberg, chairman of the board of directors of Sanofi, in the company press release.

Also on June 7, Novartis announced that Marie-France Tschudin, current president of Novartis’ Advanced Accelerator Applications, has been appointed to succeed Hudson.

Source: Sanofi