Sanofi announced changes to its leadership following a meeting of its Board of Directors on February 11, 2026. The Board decided not to renew the director mandate of Paul Hudson, whose tenure as Chief Executive Officer will end on February 17, 2026.
The Board has appointed Belén Garijo as the company’s next Chief Executive Officer, effective after Sanofi’s Annual General Meeting on April 29, 2026, subject to shareholder approval of her candidacy as a director.
During the transition period, Olivier Charmeil, Executive Vice President of General Medicines and member of the Executive Committee since 2011, will serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer.
Belén Garijo will bring an increased rigor to the implementation of Sanofi’s strategy and accelerate the preparation of the Group’s future. Her priority will be to strengthen the productivity, governance, and innovation capacity of Research & Development.
Belén Garijo, MD, joined Merck in 2011 and became its Chief Executive Officer in 2021, becoming the first woman to lead a DAX40 company in Germany. She is a Spanish national who worked in a hospital for six years, before embarking on a brilliant career in the pharmaceutical industry, first in the Research and Development department of Abbott, then for 15 years at Sanofi. She was Vice President of Pharmaceutical Operations for Europe and Canada and a member of Sanofi’s Executive Committee.
She has operated in many European countries and the US, where she led the integration of Genzyme during its acquisition. A strategic leader recognized beyond the pharmaceutical industry, she is a member of the Board of Directors of BBVA and was a member of the Board of Directors of L’Oréal for 10 years.
Frédéric Oudéa, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: “Sanofi’s Board of Directors thanks Paul Hudson for his work and the strategic initiatives he has launched during his tenure. The Board is pleased to welcome Belén Garijo as Chief Executive Officer. She is a well-recognized leader in our industry with an undisputable reputation. She knows the Sanofi Group very well, where she has held important positions and achieved many successes for 15 years. She has the experience and profile to accelerate the pace, strengthen the quality of execution of strategy and lead the next growth cycle of the company, which is essential to build the Group’s future. In a rapidly changing pharmaceutical industry, we place Sanofi in experienced hands and Belén Garijo’s brilliant international career attests to her strategic vision and her ability to drive profound and value-creating transformations with a culture of rigor to serve the best interests of patients.”
Source: chemanager-online.com
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