Takeda picks first female CEO of centuries-old drugmaker
Julie Kim is set to replace Christophe Weber as the new CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical, becoming the first woman to lead the more than 240-year-old Japanese drugmaker.
Kim, 54, has been running Takeda's U.S. operations since 2022 and will assume the role of CEO in June next year, subject to shareholder approval, the company said in a statement Wednesday.
The appointment comes as Takeda sees a competitive growth outlook with new product launches from the second half of 2026, Weber said in a statement. "Now is the right time,' he said, referring to the leadership change.
Kim, a U.S. citizen, joined Takeda six years ago. Prior to running the U.S. operations, she was the company's head of plasma-derived therapies.
Weber became the drugmaker's first non-Japanese CEO when he was promoted to the position in 2015. He expanded Takeda's global network and transformed the drugmaker into a biotechnology powerhouse specializing in gastroenterlogy, cancer, neurology, vaccines and rare diseases. Under Weber's leadership, Takeda bought U.K. drugmaker Shire PLC for $62 billion in 2019.
Takeda's operating income jumped 86% to ¥417.5 billion ($2.7 billion) for the nine months ending in December, driven by stronger demand for its products, the sale of a business unit and the weak yen, the company said in a separate statement Wednesday. Revenue rose 9.8% to ¥3.6 trillion.
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