GSK appoints Witty to top job
pharmafile | October 8, 2007 | News story | Sales and Marketing |Â Â Â
GlaxoSmithKline has named JP Garnier's successor when he steps down as chief executive at the end of May next year.
Andrew Witty is currently president, Pharmaceuticals Europe at GSK and was one of a trio of internal candidates in the running for the role.
His appointment was made earlier than expected, but GSK's chairman Sir Christopher Gent said the board of directors had followed a rigorous selection process.
"The fact that we have been able to select a successor to JP from three strong internal candidates is a testament to the quality of management at GSK," he added.
The other two candidates considered for the position were David Stout, head of pharmaceuticals, and Chris Viebacher, head of US operations.
GSK took the unusual step of giving each of the three an individual project to complete as part of the selection process, with Witty asked to look at new approaches to marketing medicines.
Witty joined Glaxo UK in 1985 and has since held senior roles in Africa, the US and Asia, including general manager, marketing for GSK's US subsidiary and managing director of Glaxo South Africa.
He was appointed president, Pharmaceuticals Europe for GSK in January 2003, and distinguished himself last year by brokering a groundbreaking deal with two European Union countries.
This allows GSK to step out of the current pricing system, by increasing the price of a drug if, and when, it can demonstrate its clinical and cost-effectiveness.
Just last week, Witty was named as the only big pharma representative on Lord Darzi's new Health Innovation Council, a £100 million initiative to promote innovation across the NHS.
Current chief executive JP Garnier said: "Andrew has made many significant contributions to GSK and I am very pleased that he is to be our next CEO. I look forward to working with him during our handover and wish him every success."
In recent years, GSK has faced problems with its product pipeline and earlier this year, a safety scare over its diabetes drug Avandia saw the product lose sales to Takeda's rival drug Actos.
There has also been friction with institutional investors, some of whom want the company to sell off its consumer business, which includes brands such as Lucozade and Ribena, as a way of improving share prices that have dropped heavily since Glaxo merged with SmithKline in 2000.
