2023 Senior Management Personnel Changes of Multinational Pharmaceutical Companies in China, what's behind it? - I
The year has witnessed a further escalation of high-level personnel changes in the Chinese divisions of multinational pharmaceutical companies. According to incomplete statistics as of December 7th, at least 55 executive positions in the China region have undergone personnel shake-ups.
The speed at which executives are departing their positions is accelerating. On March 1st, Dong Bowen, the former General Manager of Human Health at Boehringer Ingelheim, officially assumed the role of President for the Greater China region. However, a mere seven months after the new appointment was announced, Boehringer Ingelheim declared Dong Bowen's departure. In early 2022, Sanofi announced the appointment of Yu Huiming as President for the Greater China region. Yet, within less than a year, Yu Huiming also left the position. Although these are isolated cases, industry insiders believe that under the influence of significant industry changes, the level of tolerance and trust between multinational pharmaceutical companies and their senior management is diminishing.
Strategic adjustments within multinational pharmaceutical companies in the China region have been particularly frequent this year. Pfizer, AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Roche, Sanofi, and GlaxoSmithKline—six multinational pharmaceutical giants—have successively announced organizational restructuring, triggering a wave of large-scale personnel changes. Following the departure of Zheng Lei, the former President of Xi'an Janssen, on September 5th, the entire leadership team of Janssen China underwent a complete overhaul.
Among the multinational pharmaceutical companies, the most drastic high-level changes this year have occurred in Pfizer, AbbVie, Xi'an Janssen, GlaxoSmithKline, and AstraZeneca.
The intensifying high-level personnel changes in China's pharmaceutical sector reflect the dynamic nature of the industry and the challenges faced by multinational companies in maintaining stability and continuity in their leadership. The impact of industry transformations, coupled with strategic realignments, has created an environment of uncertainty, eroding the mutual tolerance and trust between multinational pharmaceutical companies and their senior management. As the industry continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how these changes will shape the future landscape of the Chinese pharmaceutical market.
| 2023 Senior Management Personnel Changes of Multinational Pharmaceutical Companies in China | ||
| MONTH | COMPANY | ALTERATION |
| January | GlaxoSmithKline | Xu Ding, vice president and head of the respiratory business in China, stepped down to be replaced by Yu Jinyi, who was appointed head of the special medicine business in September |
| Nigel Huscroft, head of product planning, has completed his tenure in China, and Ji Cheng, head of strategy and operations, has temporarily assumed the role of Head of product planning | ||
| Organon | Msdchina, head of China's strategic customer management Wu Zefa Organon China President | |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | Chen Siyuan, President of China, was promoted to Vice President and General Manager of China and Asia | |
| Pfizer | Wenjie Dai is the head of Basic Business in China, and was previously the general manager of Pfizer's Inflammation and immunity business unit in China | |
| Jing Liu, General Manager of Inflammation and Immunity Division, Pfizer | ||
| March | Boehringer Ingelheim | Bowen Dong, General Manager of Human Medicine in Greater China, succeeded Qifei Gao as President and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim Greater China |
| Chen Xingrong succeeded Bo Wen Dong as General Manager of Human Medicines for Boehringer Ingelheim Greater China | ||
| Johnson & Johnson | Johnson & Johnson Medical Technologies China Cardiovascular and Professional Solutions Division General Manager Chen Xi resigned | |
| April | AbbVie | Abbvie vice president and general manager of China, Osi Lang, left |
| Johnson & Johnson | Jing-he Wang, vice president of medical operations and professional education at Johnson & Johnson, announced his departure | |
| May | Organon | Mr. Fu assumed the role of Senior Director as Head of Sales for the Women's Health Business Unit and head of key Account Management |
| June | Pfizer | Yang Bei served as general manager of the China Vaccine Division |
| AbbVie | Dong Lijun served as Vice President of AbbVie China and General Manager of China, and was formerly Chief Operating Officer of Luoxin Pharmaceutical China | |
| July | Geng Tao, the former head of AstraZeneca’s renal team, had been appointed executive director of AbbVie’s Immunology Division, and former director Shi Jinfeng resigned | |
| Merck KGaA | Han Ting had been appointed as the head of product life cycle management of Merck China, and the former head of Eli Lilly’s China Diabetes Alliance Business Unit | |
| Roche Group | Chen Shaofeng, head of the specialty pharmaceutical field of China's customer interaction business model, resigned and Chen Kaijuan took over on August 31 | |
| Merck KGaA | He Muki would serve as the spokesperson of Merck China from January 1, 2024. The current president of Merck China, An Gaobo, would retire on December 31, 2023 | |
| Chiesi Pharmaceutical | Deng Haoqing became the new general manager of Casey China | |
| August | AstraZeneca | Chen Xi served as Vice President of China, Head of Respiratory Atomization, Digestion, Vaccine and Immunotherapy, and Autoimmune Business Units |
| Lin Xiao became the Vice President of AstraZeneca China, responsible for the Respiratory Inhalation and Biological Products Division | ||
| Roche Group | Xu Lanlan served as the head of ophthalmology of Roche's newly established China region and was the former head of Novartis ophthalmology market | |
| Pfizer | Xu Decai served as the head of cornerstone product business | |
| Gu Guangping served as the head of the North Area Sales Team for Innovative Products | ||
| Ji Ying served as the head of the southern region sales team for innovative products | ||
| Yikai Hao has become head of sales for Pfizer's Vaccine Divhas becomeion in North China | ||
| Yinli Shi had been appointed head of sales for Pfizer's Vaccines divhas becomeion in South China | ||
| Jin Xinqing Pfizer vaccine divhas becomeion, head of the market platform | ||
| AbbVie | Liang Jian, head of the Minhas becometry of Commerce, original AbbVie China commercial director Lu Xiqi leaves the end of September | |
| Former Merck executive Wang Gang was appointed executive director of government affairs, market access and key account management, while former executive director Chen Li resigned | ||
| China Strategic Cooperation and Commercial Director Xie Qin resigns | ||
| September | NVS(Novartis) | China President Bednian resigned, and Novartis Innovative Drugs President Zhang Ying took over |
| Sanofi | Schwang appointed as President of Greater China | |
| Guoling He has become head of China Manufacturing and Supply Chain | ||
| Xi'an-Janssen | Zheng Lei, former president of Xi'an-Janssen China, had left Johnson & Johnson | |
| Huang Chen, Regional Managing Director of Janssen Pharma North Asia and CEO of Korea, would become Xi'an-Janssen's new President | ||
| Connie Cao, head of human resources | ||
| Pan Fangyue had become the head of Immunotherapy Business Department | ||
| Xu Zheng He led the Neurology, Infectious Diseases and Pulmonary Hypertension practice | ||
| Chen Jian assumed additional responsibilities for market access and government affairs | ||
| Roche Group | Neurological and rare disease treatment areas: Zhou Wei, currently the head of medical affairs in the anti-infection, neurological and rare disease treatment areas | |
| Respiratory and anti-infective treatment areas: Pang Zhiqian, current medical science manager in the neurological and rare disease treatment areas | ||
| Luo Lisha was appointed as the head of medical affairs in the ophthalmic treatment area. Zhang Jing, the current head of medical affairs in the ophthalmic treatment area, left Roche on September 30. | ||
| Getinge | Mao Weifang, former vice president of Philips Healthcare and general manager of the Greater China Enterprise Information Business Group, has been appointed as the head of China. | |
| StryKer | Zhang Shaobin, senior director of marketing and sales, was promoted to head of China | |
| October | Boehringer Ingelheim | Mohammed Tawil would succeed Bowen Dong as President and Chief Executive Officer of Boehringer Ingelheim Greater China on January 1, 2024 |
| GlaxoSmithKline | Luo Yan, former Director of GSK Respiratory Business Department West Area, has been promoted to national sales manager of GSK Respiratory Business Department | |
| Zhao Liang has become responsible for the multi-channel customer interaction of the Special Medicine Business Department, and has been responsible for the medical insurance policy implementation of the Beiten and Xinkelai product groups of the special medicine business Department | ||
| Novo Nordisk | Gao Kun, Vice President of Emerging Business Divhas becomeion, had decided to retire from Novo Nordhas becomek effective January 1, 2024 | |
| Wu Xiaomin, former Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Novo Nordisk Greater China, resigned | ||
| Merck KGaA | Yuping Qian has become the Vice President of China Healthcare Business and formerly the Executive Director of Marketing at AstraZeneca | |
| Eli Lilly | Yuan Banyan has become the national executive Sales Director of Diabetes Portfolio Business Unit and the former acting head of Diabetes Alliance Business unit | |
| Liu Aihua, the current head of the Cancer Portfolio business unit, took over as the head of the Diabetes Alliance business unit | ||
| November | Eli Lilly China President and general manager of BeiDong Ming would leave China | |
| AstraZeneca | Liu Ming, Vice President of AstraZeneca China and Head of Oncology and Lung Cancer Division, resigned | |
| Pfizer | Zhang Lingyan became head of Pfizer's vaccines business | |
| Lin Hui, head of the digestion and oral business department of the omni-channel business Department, left and Cui Yong took office | ||
Chinese tabulator: Tan Zhuozhao
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2026-09-09
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