Chutes & Ladders: Eli Lilly loses its CEO, quickly promotes SVP to the role

 

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Welcome to this week's Chutes and Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please send the good word--or the bad--from your shop to Eric Sagonowsky (email) or Alyssa Huntley (email) and we will feature it here at the end of each week.

Eli Lilly loses its CEO, quickly moves up SVP to the role

Eli Lilly

CEO John Lechleiter is retiring

Eli Lilly’s CEO John Lechleiter has decided to retire as of the end of the year. SVP David Ricks will take on the roll after Lechleiter leaves. Lechleiter led Eli Lilly through some rough waters. Zyprexa and Cymbalta--two of the company’s best selling drugs--went off patent and struggled with generic competition which brought sales down by millions. Lechleiter worked to bring the company back on course and it now predicts 5% annual growth through 2020.

Ricks joined the company in 1996 and has been president of Lilly Bio-Medicines since 2012. FiercePharma Article


Bristol-Myers Squibb brings on a new head for oncology

Bristol-Myers Squibb
Fouad Namouni has been named oncology development head

Bristol-Myers Squibb has appointed Fouad Namouni as the oncology development head. Namouni will take the helm on July 25 this year. He will report to Francis Cuss as he works to develop strategy for the oncology pipeline, from early development to commercialization. Namouni recently worked as head of medical, and even before that was the development lead for Yervoy and Opdivo. Release


Alistair Macdonald to rise to CEO of INC

INC Research Holdings
Alistair Macdonald moves from COO up to CEO

Alistair Macdonald, the president and COO of INC Research Holdings, will take on the CEO role as of October 1. Current CEO Jamie Macdonald will step down from the board of directors and will continue on as vice chairman to help with the transition, until February 28 next year, and will report to the chairman of the board. Alistair Macdonald--who has been INC’s president and COO since January 2013, and has worked for the company since 2002--will also step in as a member of the company’s board of directors on October 1.  Release


Despite Brexit concerns, GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) will hang in with the U.K. a bit longer, and in fact has plans to invest $360.3 million in multiple U.K. manufacturing sites, which would bring in an unknown number of new jobs while offering more work to the 2,750 employees already working there. FiercePharmaManufacturing Article

Sanofi ($SNY) has plans to rename its Genzyme Waterford site in Waterford, Ireland, to Sanofi Waterford. Sanofi will also bring some new drugs to the plant, and along with it the need for around 40 new employees. FiercePharmaManufacturing Article


Oramed Pharmaceuticals has named Roy Eldor as its chief medical director, a newly created role. Release

Pernix Therapeutics Holdings ($PTX) is reorganizing some of the company’s senior management. John Sedor will become CEO and Graham Miao will become president and chief financial officer. Release

Graham Mott will join Tergus Pharma as the company’s director of business development. Release

Unilife has brought in John Ryan as its new president and CEO. Release

Jason Haddock will replace David Horin as Array BioPharma’s chief financial officer. Release

Certara has appointed Nathan Teuscher vice president of pharmacometric solutions. Release