20 Managing Directors and CEOs in Global Healthcare

Last updated: August 2026.

Healthcare leadership now spans medicines, diagnostics, devices, hospitals, health systems, research and public health. The people below lead organisations that shape how care is discovered, delivered, financed and improved across borders.

This is a practical starting point for understanding the leaders behind a complex global sector. Each entry focuses on the role they hold and one distinctive part of the path or organisation they bring to the work.

1. Albert Bourla.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer.

Pfizer says Bourla leads the company across oncology, internal medicine, inflammation and immunology, and vaccines. His career has included senior roles in five countries. That combination makes his entry useful for readers watching how science, technology and commercial leadership meet at scale.

2. Robert Davis.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Merck.

Davis became Merck CEO in 2021 and chairman in 2022 after senior roles that included president and chief financial officer. His path shows how financial, operational and enterprise leadership can converge in a global medicines business.

3. Joaquin Duato.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson & Johnson.

J&J says Duato became CEO in January 2022 and chairman in January 2023 after almost 40 years across geographies, functions and business segments. That breadth matters in a healthcare organisation spanning Innovative Medicine and MedTech, with different customers and operating rhythms.

4. Luke Miels.

Chief Executive Officer, GSK.

GSK says Miels became CEO and joined its board on 1 January 2026 after his appointment as CEO designate in September 2025. His recent move into the top role makes GSK a useful example of leadership transition inside a medicines and vaccines company.

5. Pascal Soriot.

Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca identifies Soriot as executive director and CEO, a role he has held since October 2012. The company describes his experience across established and emerging markets. That long tenure provides a clear lens on strategy, science and execution across a global biopharmaceutical portfolio.

6. Vas Narasimhan.

Chief Executive Officer, Novartis.

Novartis identifies Narasimhan as CEO since 2018, after he served as Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer. His background connects medical development with the enterprise choices required to lead a global medicines company.

7. Belén Garijo.

Chief Executive Officer, Sanofi.

Sanofi lists Garijo as its Chief Executive Officer. She is a physician by training and previously led Merck KGaA as CEO. That combination of medical training and enterprise leadership is a useful reminder that healthcare leadership is both technical and human.

8. Stéphane Bancel.

Chief Executive Officer, Moderna.

Moderna lists Bancel as CEO and identifies him as part of the company’s executive and board leadership. He joined Moderna at its founding. His story sits at the intersection of biotechnology, technology and public health, where speed and trust both matter.

9. David Ricks.

Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Eli Lilly.

Lilly says Ricks joined the company 30 years ago and has held roles in business development, marketing, country management and drug development. He became CEO in 2017 and chair later that year. That range of experience shows why modern healthcare leadership needs both commercial judgement and close contact with science and development.

10. Robert Ford.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Abbott.

Abbott says Ford became president and CEO in 2020 and chairman in December 2021. Earlier, he led medical device businesses and served as chief operating officer. His career is a practical example of moving between operations, technology and whole-company leadership.

11. Geoff Martha.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Medtronic.

Medtronic describes Martha as chairman and CEO, leading a healthcare technology company with about 90,000 employees. He became CEO in 2020. The role highlights the leadership challenge of turning a clear mission into products and systems that improve human welfare.

12. Peter Arduini.

President and Chief Executive Officer, GE HealthCare.

GE HealthCare lists Arduini as President and CEO. The company places its work across precision care, digital healthcare and clinical outcomes. That remit shows how healthcare leadership increasingly includes technology, data and the practical work of improving care delivery.

13. Bill Anderson.

Chairman of the Board of Management and Chief Executive Officer, Bayer.

Bayer says Anderson became chairman of its Board of Management, the CEO role, in June 2023. His earlier career included Genentech and Roche Pharmaceuticals. His path across biotechnology and pharmaceuticals helps explain the value of sector depth during major organisational change.

14. Robert A. Michael.

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, AbbVie.

AbbVie identifies Michael as chairman of the board and CEO, appointed to the CEO role in 2024 after serving as president and chief operating officer. His experience across finance, commercial operations, strategy and development is relevant to the complexity of leading a global biopharmaceutical company.

15. Adam Schechter.

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Labcorp.

Labcorp lists Schechter as chairman, president and CEO. He became CEO in 2019 and chairman in 2020 after serving as a director and lead independent director. His role connects diagnostics, global operations and governance, three parts of healthcare that are often discussed separately but managed together.

16. Reshma Kewalramani.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Vertex identifies Kewalramani as president and CEO. She is a physician executive with experience across clinical development, medical affairs and commercial strategy. That combination is a strong example of clinical understanding carried into enterprise leadership.

17. Leonard Schleifer.

Board Co-Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, Regeneron.

Regeneron identifies Schleifer as board co-chair, president and CEO. He built and managed the company from its founding in 1988 and is a physician and scientist. His long tenure shows how scientific identity can remain part of the leadership story as a research company grows.

18. Daniel O’Day.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gilead Sciences.

Gilead says O’Day joined in 2019 as chairman and CEO after serving as CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals and holding executive roles across Roche’s global operations. His international experience is a useful lens on leadership across different health systems, markets and scientific priorities.

19. Robert Bradway.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Amgen.

Amgen identifies Bradway as chairman and CEO. His background includes finance, international operations and biotechnology leadership. That mix reflects the range of decisions required when a science-led organisation also has to operate at global scale.

20. Christopher Boerner.

Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Bristol Myers Squibb.

Bristol Myers Squibb says Boerner has been CEO since November 2023 and board chair since April 2024, after senior commercial and operating roles. His progression shows how commercial, international and operating experience can prepare a leader for the full enterprise brief.

Conclusion.

The group shows three themes. Healthcare leadership is increasingly cross-disciplinary, it depends on trust as well as technical capability, and it has to translate strategy into better experiences for patients and teams.

For people working in healthcare, those themes are practical. Clear priorities, good communication and strong team habits help organisations handle complexity without losing sight of the human work underneath it.

About the Author.

Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. He works with schools, organisations and leadership teams around the world.

Next Read or Related Reading.

If you are thinking about the people and systems around healthcare leadership, the Consult Clarity pages on healthcare leadership consulting and healthcare CEOs and workforce culture are useful next reads. For a practical team lens, Working Genius in healthcare teams gives leaders a simple way to talk about how work gets done.

Final CTA.

If your healthcare organisation is working through culture, leadership or team alignment, I help leaders turn good intentions into practical habits people can use on Monday morning.

If you would like to explore a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session for your organisation, email jonno@consultclarity.org with a sentence about the challenge you are facing.