Chairman and CEO, Novartis

Daniel Vasella, M.D., was appointed Chairman in April 1999, having served as CEO and Head of the Group Executive Committee since the merger that created Novartis in 1996. Previously, Dr. Vasella was CEO of Sandoz Pharma Ltd. and a member of the Sandoz Group Executive Committee.

As CEO, Vasella created the Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research and moved the company’s research headquarters to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to be closer to top scientific talent as well as patient and hospital networks. He also established The Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, which is focused on developing therapeutics from the data generated from the mapping of the human genome.

Vasella has implemented pioneering initiatives to ensure access to medicines, which include the founding of the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases for research on neglected diseases of the developing world, and the International Patient Assistance Program for the breakthrough cancer drug Gleevec®/Glivec™, an agreement to supply the novel malaria treatment Coartem® at cost to the World Health Organization and a pledge to donate the drug therapy needed to eradicate leprosy worldwide.

In 2003, Vasella was awarded The CancerCare Human Services Award and also the Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Award. He holds the rank of Chevalier in the Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur (France). Vasella is a member of the Board of Directors of PepsiCo, Inc., United States. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Dean’s Advisors at the Harvard Business School. He is also President of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations.