KEY POINTS
- Sanofi appoints Belén Garijo as new chief executive after choosing not to renew Paul Hudson’s mandate.
- Olivier Charmeil will serve as interim CEO until Garijo formally takes over after April’s shareholder meeting.
- The leadership change aims to sharpen strategy execution and boost research and development performance.
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has moved to shift its leadership, appointing Belén Garijo as the company’s next chief executive officer. This decision follows the board’s choice not to renew the mandate of current CEO Paul Hudson, bringing his tenure to an end later this month. Garijo is set to formally assume her new role after Sanofi’s Annual General Meeting, scheduled for April 29, 2026.
Hudson’s time as CEO, which began in 2019, saw the company pursue an R&D-led strategy, divest non-core assets and focus the business around specialty medicines. Despite these efforts, the board concluded that a new direction was needed to accelerate strategic execution and enhance innovation and research productivity across the company’s pipeline.
Belén Garijo brings extensive industry experience to her new role. A trained medical doctor, she spent 15 years with Sanofi earlier in her career, including leading pharmaceutical operations in Europe and Canada. More recently, she has served as CEO of Merck KGaA, where she became the first woman to lead a major German DAX-listed company.
Sanofi’s board expressed confidence that Garijo’s leadership will strengthen execution and drive the company’s next growth phase. During the transition period, Olivier Charmeil, Sanofi’s executive vice president for general medicines, will serve as interim chief executive until Garijo formally takes up the position following the shareholder vote.
Market reaction to the leadership change was cautious, with Sanofi’s share price declining on the announcement. Some investors and analysts noted concerns about Garijo’s track record in leading research-driven growth, while others highlighted her broad operational and strategic expertise as well as her deep familiarity with Sanofi from her earlier tenure.
Paul Hudson did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision not to renew his mandate. Sanofi publicly thanked him for his contributions over the past six years, acknowledging the strategic shifts and portfolio adjustments that took place under his leadership. However, the board’s decision reflects a desire to intensify focus on delivering sustainable innovation in a competitive pharmaceutical landscape.
Belén Garijo’s appointment comes at a challenging time for big pharmaceutical firms, with rising pressure to replenish revenues as blockbuster drugs approach patent expiries and competitive dynamics evolve. Sanofi’s reliance on key products like its asthma and immunology treatment Dupixent means that identifying and advancing new therapeutic candidates is critical.
Garijo’s prior work in integrating major acquisitions, such as Sanofi’s Genzyme unit, and her global leadership roles in Europe and the United States provide a foundation for her new responsibilities. Her clinical background and executive experience position her to tackle complex strategic priorities, including enhancing R&D governance and accelerating development timelines.
The leadership transition is part of broader executive shifts within the European pharmaceutical sector, where several major companies have undergone recent CEO changes. Sanofi’s board framed this move as essential to navigating a rapidly evolving industry environment, aiming to seize opportunities for growth and maintain competitiveness on a global scale.
Analysts will be closely watching how Garijo prioritizes investment decisions, research initiatives and strategic partnerships once she assumes full control of Sanofi’s operations. Enhanced focus on pipeline productivity and innovation could influence Sanofi’s ability to respond to sector trends and deliver long-term shareholder value.
As Sanofi prepares for this leadership change, stakeholders—from employees and investors to industry observers—will assess how Garijo’s vision shapes the company’s direction in the years ahead. With an interim CEO overseeing the transition, focus now turns to the April shareholder meeting that will cement her tenure and set the stage for the next chapter of Sanofi’s corporate journey.
