Bristol-Myers Squibb vs TotalEnergies: Founders, CEOs and History
Bristol-Myers Squibb was founded in 1887 by Edward Robinson Squibb, William McLaren Bristol, John Ripley Myers and is led by Christopher Boerner. TotalEnergies was founded in 1924 by Raymond Poincaré, Ernest Mercier and is led by Patrick Pouyanné.
Company facts
Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Founded
- 1887
- Headquarters
- Princeton, New Jersey
- Current CEO
- Christopher Boerner
- Employees
- 32,500
TotalEnergies
- Founded
- 1924
- Headquarters
- Paris, France
- Current CEO
- Patrick Pouyanné
- Employees
- 100,000
Founders
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Edward Robinson Squibb
Squibb resigned his Navy post and opened a small laboratory in Brooklyn in 1858 to make pure ether, chloroform and other medicines.
William McLaren Bristol
In 1887 Bristol and Myers bought the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company of Clinton, New York, reportedly for about $5,000.
John Ripley Myers
Myers and Bristol bought the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company in Clinton, New York, in 1887 and renamed it Bristol, Myers and Company in 1898.
TotalEnergies
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré was President of France during World War I and Prime Minister when his government pushed for a national oil company in 1924.
Ernest Mercier
Ernest Mercier was the industrialist chosen to set up and chair Compagnie Française des Pétroles.
CEOs and their tenures
Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Charles A. Heimbold Jr.1994–2001
Chief Executive Officer
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.
Source - Peter R. Dolan2001–2006
Chief Executive Officer
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.
Source - James M. Cornelius2006–2010
Chief Executive Officer
Cornelius took over after Peter Dolan's removal in September 2006 and ran the company until May 2010.
Source - Lamberto Andreotti2010–2015
Chief Executive Officer
Andreotti, previously president and chief operating officer, became CEO on May 4, 2010.
Source - Giovanni Caforio2015–2023
Chief Executive Officer
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.
Source - Chris Boerner2023–present
Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer
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.
Source
TotalEnergies
- Thierry Desmarest1995–2007
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Under his leadership, Total more than doubled in size, becoming a dominant global supermajor capable of competing with Exxon and Shell.
Source - Christophe de Margerie2007–2014
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
He transformed Total into one of the most geographically diverse supermajors before his sudden death in a plane crash in 2014.
Source - Patrick Pouyanné2014–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
CEO since October 2014 and Chairman since December 2015, Pouyanné renamed the company TotalEnergies in 2021, expanded LNG and Integrated Power, and kept returns at the top of the majors (12.6% ROACE in 2025).
Source - Jean-Pierre Sbraire2019–present
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, he fortified the balance sheet during unprecedented energy market volatility following the geopolitical shocks of 2022.
Source
Timeline: Bristol-Myers Squibb and TotalEnergies side by side
1858Bristol-Myers Squibb
Edward Robinson Squibb opens his Brooklyn laboratory
Navy surgeon Edward Robinson Squibb started making pure ether and other medicines in Brooklyn. The laboratory burned down on Christmas Eve 1858 and reopened in 1859 after local doctors and surgeons contributed $2,100.
1887Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol and Myers buy the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company
Hamilton College graduates William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers bought the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company of Clinton, New York, the business that became Bristol-Myers.
1898Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol, Myers and Company is named
The founders renamed the business Bristol, Myers and Company in May 1898. After Myers died in 1899 it became Bristol-Myers, which built national brands in Sal Hepatica and, from 1901, Ipana toothpaste.
1924TotalEnergies
Compagnie Francaise des Petroles founded
The French state-backed oil company was created to secure access to petroleum resources and became the predecessor of TotalEnergies.
1944Bristol-Myers Squibb
Penicillin at wartime scale
Squibb opened what was then the world's largest penicillin plant in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Bristol-Myers had bought Cheplin Biological Laboratories in East Syracuse, New York, in 1943 and converted it to penicillin for Allied forces.
1954TotalEnergies
Total Brand Created
The company created the Total brand in 1954 to build a retail distribution network.
1989Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers and Squibb merge
Bristol-Myers and Squibb combined to form Bristol-Myers Squibb, uniting a consumer and pharmaceutical company with a research-led drugmaker.
1995TotalEnergies
Thierry Desmarest becomes CEO
Thierry Desmarest became CEO of TotalEnergies in 1995. Led Total from 1995 to 2007 and engineered the Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine combinations; remained Chairman until 2010.
1999TotalEnergies
Petrofina acquired; Elf Aquitaine follows in 2000
Total combined with Belgium's Petrofina in 1999 and Elf Aquitaine in 2000, operating as TotalFinaElf before reverting to Total in 2003.
2000TotalEnergies
Elf Aquitaine Acquired
Total acquired Elf Aquitaine in 2000, forming TotalFinaElf.
2006Bristol-Myers Squibb
CEO Peter Dolan removed over the Plavix deal
After an FBI raid in July 2006 over a patent settlement with generic maker Apotex on the blood thinner Plavix, the federal monitor urged the board to remove CEO Peter Dolan, who stepped down on September 12, 2006.
2007TotalEnergies
Christophe de Margerie becomes CEO
Christophe de Margerie became CEO of TotalEnergies in 2007. CEO from 2007 and Chairman from 2010 until his death in a plane accident at Moscow's Vnukovo airport in October 2014.
2009Bristol-Myers Squibb
Medarex bought and Mead Johnson split off
BMS bought Medarex, gaining Yervoy and a share of what became Opdivo, and split off Mead Johnson Nutrition in an exchange offer, completing its shift to a specialty biopharmaceutical company.
2011Bristol-Myers Squibb
FDA approves Yervoy
Yervoy (ipilimumab) became the first drug shown to extend overall survival in advanced melanoma, opening BMS's immuno-oncology franchise.
2011TotalEnergies
Acquired SunPower (majority stake)
TotalEnergies acquired SunPower (majority stake).
2012Bristol-Myers Squibb
FDA approves Eliquis
The FDA approved Eliquis (apixaban), developed with Pfizer, in December 2012 for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation. It became BMS's largest product, with $14.4 billion of sales in 2025.
2014Bristol-Myers Squibb
FDA approves Opdivo
The FDA approved the PD-1 inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab) in December 2014 for advanced melanoma. It reached $10.0 billion of sales in 2025.
2018TotalEnergies
Direct Energie acquired
Total bought French power and gas retailer Direct Energie, the base of its European retail electricity business.
2019Bristol-Myers Squibb
Celgene acquisition closes
BMS completed its $74 billion purchase of Celgene on November 20, 2019, adding Revlimid, Pomalyst, Reblozyl and CAR-T programs. Celgene sold Otezla to Amgen for $13.4 billion to win regulatory approval.
2020Bristol-Myers Squibb
MyoKardia deal and a GAAP loss
BMS bought MyoKardia for $13.1 billion, gaining mavacamten (Camzyos). The deal's $11.4 billion in-process R&D charge pushed 2020 to a net loss despite $42.5 billion of revenue.
2021TotalEnergies
Total becomes TotalEnergies
The company changed its name to TotalEnergies to reflect a broader multi-energy strategy spanning oil, gas, electricity, renewables, and low-carbon energy.
2022Bristol-Myers Squibb
Turning Point bought as Revlimid generics arrive
BMS completed the $4.1 billion purchase of Turning Point Therapeutics in August 2022 while volume-limited generic lenalidomide began eroding Revlimid, which had peaked at $12.8 billion in 2021.
2023Bristol-Myers Squibb
Chris Boerner becomes CEO
Chris Boerner succeeded Giovanni Caforio as chief executive in November 2023 and became board chair on April 1, 2024. Weeks earlier BMS had agreed to buy Mirati, and in December it agreed to buy Karuna and RayzeBio.
2024Bristol-Myers Squibb
Karuna, Mirati and RayzeBio close; Cobenfy approved
The three deals closed between January and March 2024. On September 26, 2024 the FDA approved Cobenfy, the first schizophrenia drug that targets muscarinic rather than dopamine receptors. The Karuna charge produced an $8.9 billion net loss for 2024.
2025Bristol-Myers Squibb
BioNTech partnership, Orbital deal and $48.2B revenue
BMS agreed in June 2025 to co-develop BioNTech's bispecific BNT327 and in October 2025 to buy Orbital Therapeutics for $1.5 billion. Full-year revenue was $48.2 billion with the Growth Portfolio up 17 percent.
2025TotalEnergies
2025 results
Revenues from sales of $182.344 billion, adjusted net income of $15.6 billion (down 15%), IFRS net income of $13.127 billion and a €3.40 dividend.
2026Bristol-Myers Squibb
Guidance raised and merger reports denied
On July 30, 2026 BMS raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $49.0 to $50.0 billion after second-quarter revenue of $12.97 billion. In August, reports of AstraZeneca merger talks were followed by a senior source telling Reuters there were no discussions.
2026TotalEnergies
Mozambique LNG full restart
On January 29, 2026, Patrick Pouyanné and President Daniel Chapo announced the full restart of the roughly $20 billion Mozambique LNG project after force majeure was lifted in November 2025.
2026TotalEnergies
Q2 2026 results
Adjusted net income of $6.0 billion and cash flow of $9.8 billion in the second quarter as higher oil prices tied to the Middle East conflict lifted earnings.
Acquisitions
Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Orbital Therapeutics2025$1.5B
- Mirati Therapeutics2024$4.8B
- RayzeBio2024$4.1B
- Karuna Therapeutics2024$14B
- Turning Point Therapeutics2022$4.1B
- MyoKardia2020$13.1B
TotalEnergies
- Direct Energie2018$1.6B
- Saft Groupe2016Undisclosed
- SunPower (majority stake)2011Undisclosed
- Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine1999Undisclosed
Questions about Bristol-Myers Squibb vs TotalEnergies
Who is the CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and TotalEnergies SE?
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is led by Christopher Boerner and TotalEnergies SE is led by Patrick Pouyanné. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Bristol-Myers Squibb Company founded vs TotalEnergies SE?
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company was founded in 1887 — 37 years before TotalEnergies SE, which was founded in 1924. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger TotalEnergies SE.
How many employees does Bristol-Myers Squibb Company have compared to TotalEnergies SE?
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company employs approximately 32,500 people, while TotalEnergies SE employs approximately 100,000. TotalEnergies SE has the larger workforce at 100,000 employees, compared to Bristol-Myers Squibb Company's 32,500. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and TotalEnergies SE headquartered?
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is headquartered in United States and TotalEnergies SE is headquartered in France. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and TotalEnergies SE?
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company was founded by Edward Robinson Squibb, William McLaren Bristol, John Ripley Myers. TotalEnergies SE was founded by Raymond Poincaré, Ernest Mercier.
Which company has a longer operating history — Bristol-Myers Squibb Company or TotalEnergies SE?
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has been operating for approximately 139 years, making it the more established of the two companies. TotalEnergies SE has been in operation for around 102 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Bristol-Myers Squibb vs TotalEnergies overview