Novartis AG
Leadership History
3 leaders · 2010 to present
Vasant Narasimhan is the CEO of Novartis, in the role since 2018. The first chief executive was Joseph Jimenez, from 2010.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giovanni Caforio | Chair of the Board | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| Vas Narasimhan | Chief Executive Officer | 2018 | Present | 8 |
| Joseph Jimenez | Chief Executive Officer | 2010 | 2018 | 8 |
Novartis is one of the world's largest drugmakers by sales and the larger of Basel's two pharmaceutical groups alongside Roche. Created by the 1996 merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz, it shed eye care (Alcon, 2019) and generics (Sandoz, 2023) and now sells only innovative medicines. Its best-known products include Entresto for heart failure, Cosentyx for psoriasis and arthritis, Kisqali for breast cancer, Kesimpta for multiple sclerosis and Pluvicto for prostate cancer. The company is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.
Novartis earns almost all of its revenue by selling patented prescription medicines to wholesalers, hospitals, pharmacies and national health systems in about 140 countries. FY2025 net sales of $54.5 billion came from four core areas (cardiovascular-renal-metabolic, immunology, neuroscience and oncology) plus established brands. The model depends on reinvesting roughly a fifth of sales into R&D and acquisitions so that new launches replace drugs losing exclusivity. Since the 2023 Sandoz spin-off, Novartis has no generics business; it also earns smaller "other revenues" (about $2.1 billion in 2025) from royalties and milestones.
Chair of the Board
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
Caforio provides absolutely massive, highly strategic board-level guidance, leveraging his deep experience running Bristol Myers Squibb to help Novartis navigate the incredibly complex US drug pricing environment.
As a highly influential Board Member (and former BMS CEO), he brings unmatched global oncology expertise to Novartis's executive committee.
Chief Executive Officer
2018 – Present
8 years (current)
Separating Alcon and Sandoz to create a pure-play innovative medicines company, and the roughly $12 billion Avidity acquisition closed in February 2026.
Narasimhan, a physician who previously led global drug development, became CEO on February 1, 2018. He spun off Alcon (2019) and Sandoz (2023), sold the Roche stake (2021), and refocused Novartis on four therapeutic areas, funding bolt-on deals such as The Medicines Company, Chinook, MorphoSys and Avidity.
Chief Executive Officer
2010 – 2018
8 years
Jimenez executed a massive, highly complex multi-billion dollar asset swap with GSK, aggressively shedding the low-margin vaccine business to focus absolutely entirely on high-margin oncology and rare diseases.
Serving as CEO from 2010 to 2018, he fundamentally transformed the massive Swiss conglomerate, heavily trimming its bloated divisions to create a highly focused, pure-play innovative medicines company.
These officers report to the chief executive and are not part of the CEO timeline above.
The biggest risk is patent expiry pressure, price regulation, trial failure, and competition from generics, biosimilars, and rival branded therapies.
Key chief executives in Novartis's history include Dr. Daniel Vasella (1996-2010; founding CEO and architect of modern Novartis), Joseph Jimenez (2010-2018; portfolio focus and Alcon integration), and Dr. Vasant 'Vas' Narasimhan (2018-present; transformation to 100% pure-play innovative medicines).
Dr. Daniel Vasella led Novartis for 14 years from its 1996 inception, overseeing the landmark launch of leukemia breakthrough Gleevec (imatinib), establishing the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) in Cambridge MA, and building Novartis into a top-5 global healthcare conglomerate.
Approved by the FDA in record time in May 2001, Gleevec (imatinib) was the world's first targeted molecular cancer therapy, designed by Dr. Nicholas Lydon and Dr. Brian Druker to specifically inhibit the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), transforming a fatal cancer into a manageable condition.
Joseph Jimenez orchestrated the landmark 2015 multi-billion-dollar asset swap with GlaxoSmithKline (selling vaccines, acquiring oncology assets, and forming a consumer joint venture), approved the FDA launch of Entresto and Cosentyx, and prepared the groundwork for digital health integration.
Dr. Vas Narasimhan became CEO in 2018 at age 41. A physician trained at Harvard and McKinsey alumnus, Narasimhan's strategic vision is to build an agile, high-science pharmaceutical leader that unleashes transformative medicines through data science, advanced therapy platforms, and an 'unbossed' culture.
Narasimhan executed the spinoff of Alcon ($28B), the sale of the Roche stake ($20.7B), the 100% tax-free spinoff of Sandoz ($15B+), simplified the global organization by merging Pharmaceuticals and Oncology units into Innovative Medicines, and integrated ESG targets directly into executive remuneration.
Harry Kirsch served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Novartis AG from 2013 until March 15, 2026, and retired after a 22-year career with the company. Mukul Mehta succeeded him as CFO effective March 16, 2026, taking over global capital allocation, corporate debt issuance, and shareholder dividend programs.
Vas Narasimhan replaced traditional rigid Swiss corporate hierarchies with an 'Inspired, Curious, and Unbossed' culture, encouraging psychological safety, empowering frontline scientists to make research decisions, and replacing top-down micromanagement with servant leadership.
Compare executive leadership tenures and strategic transitions
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