- After nearly seven years at Novartis and more than four years as a member of the ECN, Ms. Tschudin will pursue her next chapter of leadership outside of Novartis
- Dr. Horber to drive next phase of international growth, shape commercial strategy, and continue Novartis leadership in reimagining medicines for patients around the world
Basel, September 06, 2023 — Novartis today announced that Marie-France Tschudin, President, Innovative Medicines International and Chief Commercial Officer, has decided to leave the company and will step down from the Executive Committee of Novartis (ECN), effective September 15, after nearly seven years of commercial leadership at Novartis. Patrick Horber, M.D., currently Senior Vice President and President, Immunology at AbbVie has been appointed as President, International, effective later this year, reporting to Vas Narasimhan, M.D., CEO of Novartis. Dr. Horber will become a member of the ECN. Mukul Mehta, Chief Financial Officer, International, will lead the unit ad-interim until Dr. Horber assumes the role.
“I leave Novartis with a strong sense of pride and accomplishment in how we have delivered on our purpose,” Marie-France Tschudin said. “My deep esteem and gratitude go to the Novartis colleagues around the globe for their trust, hard work, and relentless efforts in getting patients the treatments they need, faster.”
Vas Narasimhan said: “I want to thank Marie-France for her extraordinary leadership during her nearly seven years at Novartis. She has been integral to reimagining our commercial model and the way we deliver innovative medicines to patients around the world. Marie-France has led her teams to remarkable growth. The impact she has had on our business, on our people, and on patients around the world will be long-lasting. I wish her the very best as she pursues her next chapter.”
“I look forward to welcoming Patrick to Novartis. He is a proven leader with deep experience enabling commercial performance on a global scale, and I am confident he will catalyze our growth journey as Novartis enters our next chapter as a fully focused innovative medicines company.”
Patrick Horber said: "As a Swiss medical doctor, it is a privilege to join Novartis—a pillar of global biomedical innovation and scientific progress. I look forward to working alongside our teams to reimagine medicine for and with patients around the globe.”
Dr. Horber holds a M.D. from the University of Zurich. He is a native of Switzerland with over 20 years of experience in the biopharma sector and a deep understanding of the global pharmaceutical market. In his latest role as Senior Vice President and President, Immunology, at AbbVie, Dr. Horber was responsible for their Immunology Business Unit, leading the Global Strategy and U.S. execution including Global Commercial Development. Prior to this role he has served in a variety of leadership and general management positions in the US and Europe.
Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “appoints,” “drive,” “shape,” “continue,” “will,” “ad interim,” “assumes,” “look forward,” “confident,” “until,” “become,” “effective,” “may,” “could,” “expectations,” or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding the appointment of Patrick Horber as President, International and a member of the ECN. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that Mr. Horber will ultimately assume the role of President, International, or on any particular date. In particular, our expectations regarding the outcome of the forward-looking statements in this press release could be affected by, among other things, general political, economic and business conditions, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG’s current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. We deliver high-value medicines that alleviate society’s greatest disease burdens through technology leadership in R&D and novel access approaches. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. About 103,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work together to bring Novartis products to nearly 800 million people around the world. Find out more at https://www.novartis.com
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