Novartis is a global healthcare company based in Switzerland that provides solutions to address the evolving needs of patients worldwide.

Pharmaceutical

Novartis

A scientist by training, John D. Young has nearly 35 years of experience in the healthcare industry and brings a wealth of experience in leadership, strategy, business development and commercialization of innovative medicines to the Novartis Board of Directors. He joined Pfizer in 1987 as a sales representative and held positions of increasing seniority across the company, including as a member of Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team from 2012. As Pfizer’s Group President and Chief Business Officer from 2019 until 2022, John also played an integral role in the development and delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

John D. Young

Simon Moroney is co-founder and CEO of MorphoSys AG, Simon Moroney played a central role in establishing the company as a force in the field of therapeutic antibodies, with one of the broadest pipelines of drug candidates in the industry. Mr. Moroney holds both a doctorate and a Master of Science in chemistry.

Simon Moroney

Fiona Marshall is President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), the company’s innovation engine, where she leads roughly 5,600 scientists and other associates across six research sites dedicated to the discovery of high-value medicines for patients.

Fiona collaborates with experts across the pipeline—from R&D to manufacturing and commercial development—to ensure NIBR’s technological and scientific breakthroughs translate into therapies that address the world’s greatest disease burdens.

Prior to taking up her current role in November 2022, Fiona served as senior vice president and global head of discovery sciences, preclinical development and translational medicine at MSD (Merck & Co in the US). Prior to that, she was a founder and chief scientific officer of Heptares Therapeutics, a UK-based biotechnology company focused on structure-based drug design. Earlier in her career, Fiona was director of molecular pharmacology at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and spent 10 years at GSK, holding senior positions in molecular pharmacology and neuroscience.

Fiona holds a BSc in Biochemistry from University of Bath and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge, both in the UK. She was the recipient of the 2012 WISE Women of Outstanding Achievement for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award, the 2015 RSC Malcolm Campbell Award for Chemistry, and the Vane Medal from the British Pharmacological Society. She is also a fellow of the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences, and an honorary fellow of both the British Pharmacological Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

A frequent traveler, Fiona’s preferred destinations include national parks and wildlife conservation sites. She also enjoys spending time with her family in her native England.

Fiona H. Marshall

Bridgette Heller is the current director at [Novartis](/org/novartis). Bridgette has also previously served as the EVP and President at MERCK Consumer Care and as the Global President at Baby Care at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. 

Heller has been responsible for full P&Ls that have reached up to $2BB and they have also served on the Executive Committee of $43BB Merck, Inc. In their role as Global President – Baby Care, they were responsible for J&J’s $1.4B global baby business spanning 55 countries. 

During their time at MERCK Consumer Care, they carved out OTC products from pharmaceutical division ex-US/Canada and globalized the business. Bridgette also developed a break-through culture of ownership and disciplined risk-taking to drive superior performance. Under their leadership, the company completed Rx-to-OTC Switches worth $60MM in U.S., Australia and Mexico. In addition, they drove manufacturing/supply chain cost improvement programs worth 30 – 40 basis points annually. These actions resulted in top-tier organic growth and profitability for MERCK Consumer Care. 

Ultimately, Heller decided to divest Consumer Division to refocus on core Pharmaceuticals. Led the divestiture activities resulting in sale to [Bayer](/org/bayer) for record setting 25x earnings.

Bridgette Heller has a Masters in Management from [Northwestern University](/org/northwestern-university) - Kellogg School of Management with a focus in marketing and management policy. Bridgette also has a BA from [Northwestern University](/org/northwestern-university) in economics and computer studies.

Bridgette Heller

Charlotte Pamer-Wieser is the corporate secretary at [Novartis](/org/novartis). Charlotte was previously a lecturer of law at the University of Basel from September 2008 to September 2010. Prior to that, they were an attorney trainee at Vischer AG from January 2001 to January 2001, and an attorney at law at Baer & Karrer Attorneys at Law from September 2007 to July 2011. Charlotte also worked as an attorney at law at Walder Wyss & Partner Zurich Switzerland from January 2004 to June 2007, and as a clerk at the Court of Appeal of Basel-Country Switzerland from April 2000 to December 2000.

Charlotte Pamer-Wieser has a masters from the University of Chicago Law School and a doctorate from the University of Basel.

Charlotte Pamer-Wieser

Kees Roks is the current Chief Audit Officer at [Novartis](/org/novartis). Prior to this, they served as the Region Head of Latin America & Canada for [Novartis](/org/novartis) Oncology, General Manager of [Novartis](/org/novartis) Pharma Russia, Head of Western Europe for [Novartis](/org/novartis) Oncology, Head Marketing Division and General Manager of [Novartis](/org/novartis) Pharma K.K., Head Marketing & Sales West-Central Europe of [Novartis](/org/novartis) Pharma K.K., Business Unit Head HRT and Franchise Head Dermatology Germany of [Novartis](/org/novartis) Pharma K.K., and Sales and Marketing of [Novartis](/org/novartis) Pharma K.K.. Kees started their career in sales with Sandoz B.V. in 1985 and has been with [Novartis](/org/novartis) since 1997.

Kees Roks attended Eindhoven University of Technology, where they studied business administration. After graduation, they began their career in the business world.

Kees Roks works with Rob Kowalski - Chief People & Organization Officer, Shreeram Aradhye - President, Global Drug Development & Chief Medical Officer, and Karen L. Hale - Chief Legal Officer. Kees Roks reports to Vasant Narasimhan, CEO.

Kees Roks

Arif Tahir is the current Country President & GM of [Novartis](/org/novartis) in Pakistan. Arif has over 17 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. 

Arif started their career as a Marketing Manager at Stiefel Dermatology, a GSK company. Arif was responsible for brand development, key external expert management, and initiating expert channel marketing. Arif also managed the portfolio and planned and executed ATL and BTL promotional activities.

In 2010, Arif joined [Johnson & Johnson](/org/johnson-johnson) as the Country Manager for Pakistan & Afghanistan. Arif was responsible for providing strategic leadership to J&J Medical Devices which includes its Global Surgery and Global Orthopaedics companies DePuySynthes, Ethicon, and Cordis. Arif was also accountable for Pakistan P&L management and commercial business GTM model and growth delivery.

In 2015, Arif left [Johnson & Johnson](/org/johnson-johnson) to join GSK as the Channel Management Director - Emerging Markets (Tier 1). In this role, they were the regional commercial trade channel lead for Tier 1 Emerging Markets - Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, India, Russia, and Vietnam. 

Arif has a proven track record of delivering growth and is an expert in developing go-to-market models, managing P&Ls, and leading large teams. Arif's extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry makes him the perfect candidate for the Country President & GM role at [Novartis](/org/novartis) in Pakistan.

Arif Tahir has a background in engineering and industrial management from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST). Arif also has an MBA in marketing from the Institute of Business Administration. Tahir is currently enrolled in IMD's Leading in Context Program for organizational leadership. Arif also has several certifications from LinkedIn in areas such as artificial intelligence, coaching and developing employees, critical thinking, and learning design thinking.

Arif Tahir reports to Marie-France Tschudin, President, [Novartis](/org/novartis) Pharmaceuticals.

Arif Tahir

rheyan  cader 

Isabella Elste

Mona Parate

Ryan  Mehan

Marta Nagorska

Michael Willi has been Chief Communications Officer of [Novartis](/org/novartis) since 2014. He is responsible for managing the [Novartis](/org/novartis) worldwide Communications function across geographical and divisional boundaries, including brand and reputation management, corporate communications and product communications. 

Prior to joining [Novartis](/org/novartis), Mr. Willi spent more than 20 years at UBS AG. He held positions of increasing responsibility in corporate and brand communications in both Switzerland and the United States. Mr. Willi served as the chief communications officer for UBS from 2008 to 2013. 

Mr. Willi earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of Basel in Switzerland.

Michael Willi

Vasant (Vas) Narasimhan, M.D., has been Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of [Novartis](/org/novartis) since February 1, 2018. Dr. Narasimhan previously was Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer for [Novartis](/org/novartis). He has also served as Global Head of Development for [Novartis](/org/novartis) Pharmaceuticals, Global Head of the Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals and Oncology Injectables business unit, Global Head of Development for [Novartis](/org/novartis) Vaccines, North America Region Head for [Novartis](/org/novartis) Vaccines, and United States Country President for [Novartis](/org/novartis) Vaccines and Diagnostics. Before joining [Novartis](/org/novartis) in 2005, he briefly worked in management consulting. 

Vasant Narasimhan

Erin Krolikiewicz

Dr. Gal leads the newly created Strategy & Growth function that combines corporate strategy, R&D portfolio strategy and business development. Dr. Gal joined Novartis from Sanford Bernstein where he is the Senior Analyst covering the US Biopharmaceutical industry. He offers over 20 years of life-sciences industry experience including financial research and analytics, management consulting and business development. He is a thought-leader in the healthcare sector and is widely recognized for his deep thematic research across therapeutic areas, technology platforms and key industry topics such as the US drug delivery system and efforts to reform it. Prior to joining Bernstein, Dr. Gal worked at Canon and the Boston Consulting Group. Dr. Gal was awarded a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a B.Sc. from Emory University.

Aharon Gal

As President, Global Health & Sustainability, Lutz Hegemann is responsible for integrating global health and environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters into the core of the [Novartis](/org/novartis) business.

In this role, Lutz leads two teams: the ESG Management Office, which integrates ESG activities across the company; and the Global Health organization, which focuses on transforming health in low- and middle-income countries, with flagship programs targeting malaria, leprosy, sickle cell disease and Chagas disease.

We are pursuing a co-ordinated approach to maximize our contribution to society and ensure as many patients as possible have access to our treatments, helping to build a strong foundation for the next phase of our global health and ESG journey.
In his ad interim role as Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Lutz leads a newly created Strategy & Growth function for [Novartis](/org/novartis), spanning corporate strategy, research and development portfolio strategy and business development. This function will help drive the company’s growth strategy end-to-end and will look across internal and external opportunities to strengthen the [Novartis](/org/novartis) pipeline with medicines that are both transformational and can make significant contributions to growth.

Before taking on his present role, Lutz was Group Head of Corporate Affairs and Global Health. He has held roles of increasing responsibility since joining [Novartis](/org/novartis) in 2005 in the Consumer Health Division. He began his career as a public health physician and scientist.

Lutz is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine & Hygiene and serves on the boards of the [Novartis](/org/novartis) Foundation, the Swiss Alliance against Neglected Tropical Diseases, the Tanzania Training Centre of International Health, and PATH.

Lutz Hegemann

As President, Global Drug Development & Chief Medical Officer for [Novartis](/org/novartis), Shreeram Aradhye is responsible for advancing the [Novartis](/org/novartis) pipeline of investigational medicines to bring transformative new treatment options to patients with serious diseases.

Shreeram’s organization leads the clinical development of potential new medicines, running large clinical trials and steering the path to regulatory approval, while also maintaining oversight of ongoing patient safety and regulatory activities for licensed therapies. With an aim to bring up to 20 major new medicines to patients by 2026 – including for cardiovascular and immunological conditions, neurological disorders and various forms of cancer – Shreeram and his team play a central role in driving the company’s long-term growth and delivering on its purpose to improve and extend people’s lives.

Shreeram is passionate about developing investigational medicines, recognizing the hope and trust of patients participating in clinical trials. He has dedicated his professional career to improving patients’ lives, first as an academic clinician and then as a drug developer and business leader.

Shreeram took on his current role at [Novartis](/org/novartis) in May 2022, rejoining the company after spending several years at US biotechnology companies, including leading the development of multiple clinical stage RNAi assets at [Dicerna Pharmaceuticals](/org/dicerna-pharmaceuticals). He first joined [Novartis](/org/novartis) in 1999 and over the course of 20 years held a succession of leadership roles in the US, Switzerland, Germany and India, including Global Head of Medical Affairs for the Pharmaceuticals Business Unit and Development Head for the Neuroscience Franchise.

Before joining the life sciences industry, Shreeram was an attending physician and assistant professor of medicine and a transplant nephrologist at the [University of Pennsylvania](/org/university-of-pennsylvania). He completed his medical training at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 1989, after which he received additional specialty training in internal medicine and nephrology in the US.

Shreeram Aradhye

Victor Bulto

As Chief People & Organization (P&O) Officer of Novartis, Rob Kowalski leads the company’s strategy to unleash the power of its more than 100,000 employees to support its long-term priorities and purpose. 

Rob took on his current role in 2021. He leads the P&O function at a time when the global pandemic continues to reshape the global working environment and Novartis is accelerating the adoption of new working models for employees to optimize both personal and business performance.

Rob is passionate about creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment where all employees can fully apply their talents and energies. He is responsible for delivering on the company’s pledge to the United Nations (UN) Equal Pay International Coalition to achieve gender balance in management and further improve pay equity and transparency processes by 2023. 

Rob has held a range of other senior leadership roles at Novartis, and is known for his skill in building and leading diverse organizations. In his previous role as Global Head of Regulatory Affairs, he led an organization that has delivered a dozen new molecular entity approvals in the three years through 2020. 

Rob holds a doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US.

Rob Kowalski

In her role as Chief Legal Officer of [Novartis](/org/novartis), Karen Hale leads a global legal and public affairs function that supports the company’s purpose of reimagining medicine while ensuring high standards of ethics and business conduct to reinforce trust with society. 

Karen joined [Novartis](/org/novartis) in May 2021, bringing more than 20 years of experience in resolving legal and compliance issues in the global pharmaceutical industry. She was previously at [AbbVie](/org/abbvie), where she held a succession of senior roles including Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer. She originally joined Abbott, the company that spun-off [AbbVie](/org/abbvie), in 1997 with responsibility for managing commercial litigation and providing counsel on corporate issues.

Prior to joining Abbott, Karen was an associate attorney with the law firm Sidley & Austin in Chicago, Illinois. She gained a bachelor’s degree in economics from [Duke University](/org/duke-university) and a Juris Doctor degree from the [College of William and Mary](/org/college-of-william-and-mary). In 2019, Karen was named by Black Enterprise magazine as one of 50 most powerful women in corporate America.

Karen L. Hale

Harry Kirsch

Steffen Lang

Joerg Reinhardt

Marie-France Tschudin

Klaus Moosmayer

Elizabeth Doherty

Nancy C. Andrews

William T. Winters

Ton Buechner

Charles L. Sawyers

Frans Van Houten is the current director at [Novartis](/org/novartis). Frans previously worked at Laboratoria Qualiphar for 10 years, where they were the Farmaceutisch Afgevaargdigde.

Frans Van Houten has a postgraduate degree in Business from KU Leuven, and a undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical and Biological Techniques from PHITS-COOVI in Brussels.

Frans Van Houten

Patrice Bula

Richard Saynor

The executive team at Novartis has a long history in the pharmaceutical industry. They have held positions at companies such as Sandoz B.V. and Eindhoven University of Technology. Their experience and education histories make them uniquely qualified to lead Novartis.

CEO and Executive Team

About

Team members

Other teams at Novartis

Leadership Team

Board of Directors

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