Novo Nordisk A/S
Leadership History
4 leaders · 2000 to present
Maziar Mike Doustdar is the CEO of Novo Nordisk, in the role since 2025. The first chief executive was Lars Rebien Sørensen, from 2000.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maziar Mike Doustdar | President and Chief Executive Officer | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| Lars Rebien Sørensen | Chair of the Board | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen | Chief Executive Officer | 2017 | 2025 | 8 |
| Lars Rebien Sørensen | Chief Executive Officer | 2000 | 2016 | 16 |
Novo Nordisk is a Danish drugmaker headquartered in Bagsvaerd near Copenhagen. Its products include a large share of the world's insulin, plus semaglutide, the molecule behind Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus. Semaglutide made Novo Europe's most valuable company in 2023-2024. The shares have since fallen more than 70% from their peak as Eli Lilly gained share, and the company replaced its CEO and most of its board in 2025. The company is headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark.
Novo Nordisk sells prescription medicines through two segments. Diabetes and Obesity care is the bulk of sales: GLP-1 drugs (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy injection, the Wegovy pill launched in the US in January 2026 and Wegovy HD 7.2 mg), plus insulins such as Tresiba and NovoRapid. Rare disease covers haemophilia, growth hormone and other endocrine products. In the US, revenue depends on list prices, rebates to pharmacy benefit managers and government programmes such as 340B and Medicare, and increasingly on self-pay channels where patients buy Wegovy directly at lower prices. The US is the largest market; International Operations covers the rest of the world.
President and Chief Executive Officer
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
Became CEO on August 7, 2025, succeeding Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen. Joined Novo Nordisk in 1992 and previously ran International Operations, where sales more than doubled over a decade. First non-Danish CEO in the company's history.
Chair of the Board
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
Sørensen executed the absolutely massive, highly contrarian decision to maintain a pure, hyper-focused obsession with diabetes care when every other pharmaceutical giant was aggressively diversifying into oncology.
Serving as CEO from 2000 to 2016, he laid the absolutely critical, foundational R&D groundwork for GLP-1 agonists that would eventually lead to the massive global explosion of Ozempic and Wegovy.
Chief Executive Officer
2017 – 2025
8 years
Prioritised semaglutide in obesity and backed the $11 billion purchase of three Catalent sites.
CEO from January 2017 to August 2025. Oversaw the launches of Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy and large capacity investments, then was replaced by the board in 2025 after share losses to Eli Lilly and a cut to guidance.
Chief Executive Officer
2000 – 2016
16 years
Sørensen executed the absolutely massive, highly contrarian decision to maintain a pure, hyper-focused obsession with diabetes care when every other pharmaceutical giant was aggressively diversifying into oncology.
Serving as CEO from 2000 to 2016, he laid the absolutely critical, foundational R&D groundwork for GLP-1 agonists that would eventually lead to the massive global explosion of Ozempic and Wegovy.
Eli Lilly's tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) overtook semaglutide in US share, US net prices are falling, compounded copies took volume in 2024-2025, and pipeline setbacks (CagriSema data, the ZEUS ziltivekimab failure in July 2026, a ~$608M (DKK 4.0B) monlunabant impairment) leave the company reliant on semaglutide.
Novo Nordisk CEOs include Mads Øvlisen (1981-2000), who led the 1989 merger; Lars Rebien Sørensen (2000-2016); Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen (2017-2025), who led the Ozempic and Wegovy launches; and Mike Doustdar (since August 2025).
Mads Øvlisen, son-in-law of founder Thorvald Pedersen, orchestrated the historic 1989 merger of rivals Novo and Nordisk, codifying the 'Novo Nordisk Way' and pioneering the 'Triple Bottom Line' (balancing financial profitability with environmental responsibility and social impact).
Lars Rebien Sørensen led Novo Nordisk for 16 years, making the bold strategic decision to divest non-core industrial enzymes (spinning off Novozymes in 2000), focusing 100% of resources on diabetes care, launching modern insulins (NovoLog, Levemir, Tresiba) and the first GLP-1 drug Victoza (liraglutide), multiplying company value tenfold.
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen was CEO from January 2017 to August 2025. He led the launches of Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy and large capacity expansions, and was replaced after Novo lost share to Eli Lilly and cut guidance.
The 'Novo Nordisk Way' is a set of 10 guiding principles that mandates all employees and executives to put patient outcomes first, never compromise on quality and ethics, foster an open and inclusive workplace, and preserve the Triple Bottom Line.
Maziar Mike Doustdar has been president and CEO since August 7, 2025. He joined Novo in 1992 and previously led International Operations.
Taking the helm in 2017, Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen orchestrated the commercial launch of semaglutide into an unprecedented global mega-blockbuster. When demand overwhelmed contract manufacturers, Jørgensen engineered the landmark $16.5 billion acquisition of Catalent by Novo Holdings, acquiring three critical sterile fill-finish sites for $11 billion to secure captive production capacity.
The controlling ownership of Novo Holdings (holding over 77% of voting shares) shields CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen from short-term quarterly stock market pressures. Executive compensation is explicitly tied to long-term patient reach, ethical drug access, and sustainable innovation targets through the "Novo Nordisk Way" governance charter.
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