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Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

Pharmaceuticals and BiotechnologyFounded 1887
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Bristol-Myers Squibb: CEO History

6 leaders · 1994 to present

Who is the CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb?

Christopher Boerner is the CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb, in the role since 2023. The first chief executive was Charles A. Heimbold Jr., from 1994.

Current CEO
Christopher Boerner (since 2023)
First CEO
Charles A. Heimbold Jr. (1994)
Leaders documented
6
Founded
1887
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Chris BoernerBoard Chair and Chief Executive Officer2023Present3
Giovanni CaforioChief Executive Officer201520238
Lamberto AndreottiChief Executive Officer201020155
James M. CorneliusChief Executive Officer200620104
Peter R. DolanChief Executive Officer200120065
Charles A. Heimbold Jr.Chief Executive Officer199420017
Who was CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb before Chris Boerner?
Giovanni Caforio was CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb from 2015 to 2023, before Chris Boerner took over in 2023.

Company Overview

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) is a U.S. biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange as BMY. It develops and sells prescription medicines for cancer, blood disorders, immune diseases, heart disease and schizophrenia. Its best-known products are Eliquis, the anticoagulant it sells with Pfizer, and Opdivo, a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor. With $48.2 billion of 2025 revenue and a market value of about $127 billion at the end of September 2026, it is one of the largest U.S. drugmakers by sales. The massive biopharmaceutical titan was formed in New York City, New York through the 1989 mega-merger of two historic drug companies, eventually becoming an absolute powerhouse in modern cancer immunology.

Chris Boerner

Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer

2023 – Present

3 years (current)

Legacy

Boerner became CEO in November 2023 and board chair on April 1, 2024, after serving as executive vice president, chief operating officer and CEO-designate from April 2023 and earlier as chief commercialization officer. He closed the Karuna and RayzeBio deals, oversaw the September 2024 approval of Cobenfy, signed the June 2025 BioNTech partnership and the October 2025 Orbital Therapeutics purchase, and expanded cost cuts to prepare for the 2028 loss of U.S. exclusivity on Eliquis and Opdivo. In July 2026 he raised 2026 revenue guidance to $49.0 to $50.0 billion.

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Giovanni Caforio

Chief Executive Officer

2015 – 2023

8 years

Legacy

Caforio, a physician, succeeded Lamberto Andreotti in May 2015. He led the $74 billion Celgene acquisition in 2019, the $13.1 billion MyoKardia deal in 2020 and the $4.1 billion Turning Point deal in 2022, and agreed the Mirati purchase in October 2023. He handed the CEO role to Chris Boerner in November 2023, stepped down as board chair on April 1, 2024 and retired after 23 years at the company.

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Lamberto Andreotti

Chief Executive Officer

2010 – 2015

5 years

Legacy

Andreotti, previously president and chief operating officer, became CEO on May 4, 2010. His tenure saw the approvals of Yervoy (2011), Eliquis (2012) and Opdivo (2014), the 2012 purchases of Inhibitex and Amylin, and the 2014 sale of the diabetes business to AstraZeneca. He retired as CEO in 2015 and was succeeded by Giovanni Caforio.

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James M. Cornelius

Chief Executive Officer

2006 – 2010

4 years

Legacy

Cornelius took over after Peter Dolan's removal in September 2006 and ran the company until May 2010. He led the 'String of Pearls' strategy of biotech deals and alliances, bought Medarex in 2009, sold ConvaTec and split off Mead Johnson Nutrition, turning BMS into a specialty biopharmaceutical company.

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Peter R. Dolan

Chief Executive Officer

2001 – 2006

5 years

Legacy

Dolan, who had run the consumer products and medical device divisions, succeeded Charles Heimbold in May 2001. His tenure included the ImClone partnership on the cancer drug Erbitux and a federal investigation into wholesaler inventory practices. He was removed on September 12, 2006 at the urging of the federal monitor after a patent settlement with Apotex over Plavix.

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Charles A. Heimbold Jr.

Chief Executive Officer

1994 – 2001

7 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Heimbold managed the incredibly complex internal restructuring that completely divested the company of its legacy consumer products (like Clairol) to focus entirely on high-margin pharmaceuticals.

Legacy

Serving as CEO from 1994 to 2001, he aggressively expanded the company's oncology portfolio, notably launching the blockbuster cancer drug Taxol, which drove massive revenue growth.

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Challenges & Strategic Context

The core challenge is replacing revenue from drugs losing patent protection. Revlimid fell from $12.8 billion in 2021 to $3.0 billion in 2025 after generic lenalidomide arrived in 2022, and Sprycel and Pomalyst are on the same path. Eliquis and Opdivo, about half of 2025 revenue, lose U.S. exclusivity in 2028, and the negotiated Medicare price for Eliquis under the Inflation Reduction Act took effect in January 2026. The pipeline has had setbacks: Cobenfy missed its main goal as an add-on schizophrenia treatment in the ARISE trial in April 2025, the ADEPT-2 Alzheimer's psychosis study was extended after BMS found irregularities at some trial sites, and the Librexia ACS trial of milvexian ended early in November 2025. Acquisitions left total debt at about $47.2 billion at the end of 2025 against $11.1 billion of cash and investments, and GAAP results swing with acquired in-process R&D charges, which turned 2024 into an $8.9 billion net loss.

Bristol-Myers Squibb CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is the CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb?

Chris Boerner, CEO since November 2023 and board chair since April 1, 2024. He was executive vice president, chief operating officer and CEO-designate from April 2023 and earlier ran commercialization.

What has Chris Boerner done as CEO?

He closed the Karuna and RayzeBio deals in early 2024, oversaw Cobenfy's approval in September 2024, signed the BioNTech BNT327 partnership in June 2025 and the $1.5 billion Orbital Therapeutics purchase in October 2025, and expanded cost cuts with a further $2 billion targeted by 2027. In July 2026 he raised 2026 revenue guidance to $49.0 to $50.0 billion.

Who was Giovanni Caforio?

A physician who was CEO from May 2015 to November 2023 and board chair until April 1, 2024. He led the $74 billion Celgene deal in 2019 and the $13.1 billion MyoKardia deal in 2020, then retired after 23 years at BMS.

Who was Lamberto Andreotti?

CEO from May 2010 to 2015, after serving as president and chief operating officer. His tenure saw Yervoy (2011), Eliquis (2012) and Opdivo (2014) approved, the 2012 purchases of Inhibitex and Amylin, and the 2014 sale of the diabetes business to AstraZeneca.

Who was James Cornelius?

CEO from September 2006, after Peter Dolan's removal, until May 2010. He ran the String of Pearls strategy, bought Medarex in 2009, sold ConvaTec and split off Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Why was Peter Dolan removed as CEO?

Dolan, CEO from May 2001, was removed on September 12, 2006 after the federal monitor overseeing BMS urged the board to act over a Plavix patent settlement with generic maker Apotex that had drawn an FBI raid.

Who was Charles Heimbold?

CEO from 1994 and chairman from 1995 until May 2001, a period when sales and earnings roughly doubled. He later served as U.S. ambassador to Sweden.

How many CEOs has Bristol Myers Squibb had since 1994?

Six: Charles Heimbold (1994-2001), Peter Dolan (2001-2006), James Cornelius (2006-2010), Lamberto Andreotti (2010-2015), Giovanni Caforio (2015-2023) and Chris Boerner (since 2023).

Who is the CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb?

Christopher Boerner took over as CEO in 2023, tasked with the massive challenge of replacing the tens of billions in revenue that will be lost when Revlimid and Eliquis lose patent protection.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.