Our Leadership

JENNIFER TAUBERT

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
WORLDWIDE CHAIRMAN, PHARMACEUTICALS
JOHNSON & JOHNSON

Jennifer Taubert is Executive Vice President and Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals at Johnson & Johnson, the world's largest healthcare company. She is a member of the Corporation's Executive Committee and leads the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee.

Jennifer has been a leader in shaping the global strategy of transformational medical innovation for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, successfully delivering vital new medicines for millions of people living with cancer, immune-related diseases, heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, infectious diseases and serious mental illness. Under her leadership, Janssen has become the second-largest innovative pharmaceutical business globally, with more than $50 billion in worldwide revenue. In addition, the company has been named No. 1 in the Pharmaceuticals category on Fortune magazine's “World's Most Admired Companies” list for 10 consecutive years.

Throughout her career, Jennifer has been committed to improving the lives of people with serious illnesses. Since joining Johnson & Johnson in 2005, her focus has been on reaching increasing numbers of patients around the world with the Company's transformational therapies. Jennifer led global commercial strategy for the Pharmaceuticals Group and, later, as President, Internal Medicine, built a powerhouse new franchise in cardiovascular and metabolic disease. As Company Group Chairman, The Americas, the business doubled in size, outpacing the industry to become the No. 1 pharmaceutical company in the United States and Canada. Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Jennifer spent 17 years in positions of increasing scope and responsibility at Merck and Allergan.

In recognition of her impact on behalf of patients, Jennifer has been named to Fortune's “Most Powerful Women” list for the past seven years. She was also named among the “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine in 2020 and received the National Association for Female Executives' 2017 “Woman of Achievement” award. Jennifer is also recognized as a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion, which she sees as critical to insight, innovation and business success.

Jennifer is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents the country's leading innovative biopharmaceutical research companies, and she is Chair of the International Committee. She also serves on the National Academy of Medicine's Leadership Consortium and on the Advisory Board of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California. In addition, Jennifer is a member of the Board of Directors of McDonald's Corporation.

Jennifer received a bachelor's degree in Pharmacology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Business Administration from the Anderson Graduate School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles.

DAPO AJAYI

VICE PRESIDENT
JANSSEN SUPPLY CHAIN

Dapo Ajayi is Vice President, Janssen Supply Chain at Johnson & Johnson (J&J). In this role, Dapo is responsible for the global, end-to-end manufacturing and supply management of J&J pharmaceutical brands. She is a member of the Pharmaceutical Group Operating Committee (GOC) and the Supply Chain Management Committee (SCMC).

Previously, Dapo served as Vice President, Technical Operations & Supply Chain Strategy at J&J where she was accountable for accelerating the delivery of our supply chain strategy and maximizing the collective impact of the Company’s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), Engineering & Property Services (E&PS), Supply Chain Acceleration, and Strategy, Innovation & Deployment (SI&D) teams to improve its operational capabilities, strategically leverage its network and reinvest in areas for growth and innovation.

Prior to that, Dapo served as Vice President, Manufacturing & Technical Operations, Janssen Supply Chain, where she led the internal and external global manufacturing network and was responsible for the technical operations that, through cross-functional partnership, supported the organization’s continuous and transformational technology improvement, as well as delivery of the Janssen pipeline.

Dapo has spent her entire career in the pharmaceutical sector and has a broad business and technical background. She is a pharmacist and a graduate of the School of Pharmacy at The University of Wales, United Kingdom (UK). She has held a variety of senior technical and supply chain leadership roles, including Chief Procurement Officer for the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. While there, she also led manufacturing sites in the UK and Puerto Rico and the Global External Sourcing group (responsible for all third-party suppliers in the supply chain). In addition, she spent time in the commercial business, where she headed a strategic marketing function for established brands and formed a new business unit.

Dapo was included on the 2019 PharmaVOICE 100 list of influential and inspirational leaders from the life sciences industry, in recognition of her contributions as a change agent who is helping to shape the future of the healthcare ecosystem.

Paul Anthony

Human Resources Head
Global Pharmaceuticals and External Innovation

Paul Anthony is Human Resources (HR) Head of Global Pharmaceuticals & External Innovation at Johnson & Johnson. Paul serves as a member of Johnson & Johnson’s Human Resource Executive Leadership Team, the Pharmaceutical Group Operating Committee and the R&D Management Committee. Paul leads HR strategy and operational excellence for the Pharmaceutical sector and Johnson & Johnson Innovation, including the Innovation Centers, JLABS, JJDC, the cross-sector Lung Cancer Initiative and Global Public Health.

Prior to this role, Paul was Head of Global Total Rewards and Human Capital Strategy at Johnson & Johnson, where he had responsibility for executive compensation, which encompassed working with the Board of Directors, Pension and Benefits Committee and Management Compensation Committees. Paul also had responsibility for compensation, benefits, acquisition and divestures, workforce analytics, health and wellness, HR strategy and transformation, HR talent and employee relations. 

Paul joined Johnson and Johnson in 2013 as the lead business partner for the Supply Chain organization supporting more than 55,000 employees globally. He played an integral role in advancing the Supply Chain operating model and partnered with organization’s leadership to champion innovation, talent and culture agendas. Paul also held responsibilities for successfully leading and executing the organizational transformation of Johnson & Johnson’s HR function in North America.  

Paul brings 25 years of diversified experience. Prior to Johnson & Johnson, Paul worked at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where he was Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Commercial & Supply Chain and Chief Talent Officer. Prior to joining BMS, Paul worked at PepsiCo, Inc., as an HR Business Partner supporting Commercial, Supply Chain and Corporate functions. He started his career in Total Rewards and has held roles in Talent Acquisition and Labor Relations. 

Paul holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and an Master’s in Business Administration from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. 

TOM CAVANAUGH

COMPANY GROUP CHAIRMAN
GLOBAL COMMERCIAL STRATEGY ORGANIZATION

Tom Cavanaugh is Company Group Chairman, Global Commercial Strategy Organization (GCSO) and is a member of the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee.

Tom leads the team responsible for developing the global commercial strategy for Janssen, maximizing the value of our global portfolio and pipeline, in close collaboration with R&D, Business Development, the Commercial Regions and Functional partners. The critical GCSO functions that will report to Tom include the Therapeutic Areas; Global Market Access and Pricing; Real-World Evidence; Commercial Data Science; Global Medical Affairs; and Strategy, Analytics & Business Transformation. He will also assume the stewardship of Janssen One, our strategy to drive transformational medical innovation and position Janssen as a worldwide pharmaceuticals leader.

With 27 years of broad industry experience, Tom is a proven global leader. His leadership approach and experience in navigating complex environments will be instrumental in accelerating growth across our portfolio and advancing our next wave of innovation on behalf of patients. Tom is also an avid champion of talent development and has earned a reputation for his unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and for building high-performing, cross-functional teams.

Prior to this role, Tom was U.S. President, Immunology, responsible for driving market leadership for Janssen Immunology, our largest business. In this role, he has exceeded financial commitments for Immunology while leading through the complexities of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He has ensured agile decision-making while focusing on customer and brand priorities. Tom has served as a valued member of the Janssen Americas Leadership Team since joining the Company in September 2017 as President of our U.S. Oncology business. In that role, Tom evolved our Oncology operating model and expanded our organizational capabilities. As a result, Janssen Oncology became the industry’s fastest-growing multibillion-dollar oncology business.

Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Tom helped build Celgene into a global biopharmaceutical company and held leadership positions of increasing responsibility in marketing, general management, medical affairs and product development. As a General Manager in both Spain and the U.S., Tom consistently exceeded business objectives through innovative approaches including an enhanced customer engagement initiative that better prepared the organization for future launches. As Global Head of Marketing for Hematology and Head of EMEA Marketing in Switzerland, Tom was responsible for designing and implementing disease area strategies for new and in-line products, including portfolio prioritization and resource allocation at both the regional and global levels. Previously, Tom was with Pharmacia, where he held roles in sales and product management.

Tom began his professional career as a chemist and pharmacy technician. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from North Carolina State University.

CHRIS HOURIHAN

COMPANY GROUP CHAIRMAN
ASIA PACIFIC

Chris Hourigan is Company Group Chairman of Janssen Asia Pacific, where he oversees pharmaceutical operations across eight markets in the world’s most diverse and populous region. He is also a member of the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee.

For the five years prior to this appointment, Chris was President of Janssen Japan, the second largest market for Janssen globally. Under his leadership, he improved the company’s market competitiveness, widened access to innovative medicines, and attracted and developed strong talent.

Prior to this role, he held leadership positions in Australia, Vietnam and New Zealand and made a meaningful difference in the lives of patients by working collaboratively with a range of health and pharmaceutical stakeholders to establish access to and foster the quality use of innovative medicines. He also worked in the United States as Global Marketing Lead for the Janssen Psychiatry business unit.

Chris is a highly respected member of the pharmaceutical industry, having chaired Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Japan and served as a board member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Japan, Medicines Australia and Medicines New Zealand to highlight the value of pharmaceutical innovation and advocate for access to medicines.

Chris holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.

ROBIN L. KUMOLUYI

VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF QUALITY OFFICER
PHARMACEUTICALS
JOHNSON & JOHNSON

Robin L. Kumoluyi is Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, Johnson & Johnson, Pharmaceuticals. Robin also is a member of the Johnson & Johnson Quality and Compliance Leadership Team (QCLT), as well as the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee (GOC).

In her current role, Robin leads the Pharmaceuticals QCLT in setting the quality and regulatory compliance strategy, leads the implementation of quality processes and systems, and develops talent to strengthen Johnson & Johnson’s quality and compliance profile and leadership position in the pharmaceutical industry.

Most recently as Vice President, Global Quality Systems (GQS), Robin implemented a new operating model that refined and focused the work of the enterprise team to better align with the businesses and gain efficiencies. She also defined and executed the strategic direction, development and oversight of the Q&C Strategy to prepare for our future innovative products and solutions while preserving our core foundation.

With more than 30 years of experience in quality and compliance and R&D, Robin brings a strong quality and technical skill set across a broad range of product categories to her new role. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson in 2016, Robin served as the Vice President & Global Head, Third Party Operations Novartis Business Services, where she had global responsibility for the governance of the quality management of external supply partners across all Novartis divisions. Prior to Novartis, Robin held global roles with increasing levels of responsibilities within Q&C at Myogen, Schering-Plough and Warner Lambert/Pfizer. In addition, Robin gained Consumer experience from her tenure at The Coca Cola Corporation where she served as Director Global Quality Analytical Services.

Robin has been heavily involved in shaping the future within the pharmaceutical industry, participating in many industry working groups and forums, including the Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals (CAMP), PDA, DIA, ISPE, Rx360 and most recently, the Global Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Leadership Forum (GPMLF) where she is representing J&J in a working group focusing on the workforce of the future.

Robin holds a master’s degree in Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs from the School of Pharmacy at Temple University and a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University.

PETER LEBOWITZ, M.D., Ph.D.

GLOBAL ONCOLOGY THERAPEUTIC AREA HEAD

As Global Oncology Therapeutic Area Head for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Peter F. Lebowitz, M.D., Ph.D. is responsible for the discovery, development and life cycle advancement of the company’s robust oncology pipeline and portfolio. He leads a global team of scientists that bring together expertise in small molecules, advanced biologics, cell therapies, vaccine platforms, translational research, diagnostics, and immuno-oncology. Under Peter’s leadership, Janssen Oncology has achieved many noteworthy milestones, including major product approvals for several first-in-class therapies; multiple U.S. Food and Drug Administration Breakthrough Therapy Designations; and tremendous, rapid growth within the group’s early development portfolio.

With a strategy focused on driving towards transformational therapies, Peter also successfully established an external innovation strategy to advance science and novel therapeutics in core disease areas, including hematologic malignancies, prostate cancer, immuno-oncology, and lung cancer. The combination of these efforts has led to more than 80 strategic oncology partnerships across the life sciences ecosystem and continues to distinguish Janssen as an industry leader and global oncology innovator.

Prior to his appointment as Global Oncology Therapeutic Area Head, Peter served as the Hematologic Malignancies Disease Area Leader within Janssen Research & Development. In this role, he had responsibility for creating and executing the scientific strategy to advance internal and externally sourced discovery and development programs. Together with his team, Peter is recognized for building an industry-leading hematologic malignancies portfolio that has been foundational for scientific innovation and has progressed important therapeutics that have transformed patient care.

Before joining Janssen R&D, Peter held Vice President positions in Discovery and Early/Late-stage Clinical Development for another pharmaceutical company where he successfully filed 10 Investigational New Drug Applications and played a significant role in the global registration of three oncology medicines. During his tenure, he also directly led major programs from preclinical discovery through pivotal Phase 3 registration trials.

Prior to transitioning to the pharmaceutical industry, Peter served as Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center.  There he established an independently funded translational and clinical research program and led numerous clinical research programs as a principal investigator. He also had the privilege of caring for many oncology patients during this time.  Peter graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, holds a master’s degree in Health Care Policy from Oxford University, and earned his medical degree and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed clinical training in Internal Medicine at Duke University Medicinal Center and his Hematology/Oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.

DAVID M. LEE, M.D., Ph.D.

GLOBAL THERAPEUTIC AREA HEAD
IMMUNOLOGY

David M. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., is Global Immunology Therapeutic Area Head for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson where he leads a team focused on end-to-end pipeline and a portfolio of treatments for immune-mediated disease. Under his leadership, Immunology researchers are working to build on the success of our current portfolio, which includes STELARA® (ustekinumab) and TREMFYA® (guselkumab).

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson in September 2018, David was based in Basel, Switzerland, where he served as Global Head, Immunology, Inflammation and Infectious Disease Discovery and Translation Area for Roche, and prior to that, as Global Head of Autoimmunity, Dermatology, and Transplant Translational Medicine at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. In each of these roles, he led on the strategic approaches that fed the companies’ pipelines, prioritized assets, and accelerated their development. His ability to develop external collaborations and lead and develop his teams, was central to his success in each organization.

Before transitioning to the pharmaceutical industry, David was a faculty member at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. While there, his research laboratory focused on disease mechanisms in rheumatology and he was also a practicing rheumatologist. As a precursor to his career in industry, while at Harvard, he also participated in co-founding multiple start-ups. Ultimately, one – a biotech – was acquired by a major pharmaceutical company.

He is an active author and speaker, and has completed more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and more than 100 lectures/seminars.

David earned his undergraduate degree at Stanford University, where he discovered his fascination with the intricacies of the immune system. He subsequently earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in Microbiology/Immunology from the Duke University School of Medicine. His passion for developing new medicines is rooted in his experiences treating patients as a practicing rheumatologist.

Follow David on LinkedIn here.

JOYCE LEE

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER (CIO)
PHARMACEUTICALS

Joyce Lee is the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Pharmaceuticals. Joyce also serves on the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee (GOC).

Previously, Joyce served as Vice President and CIO of VF Corporation, Asia Pacific. During her tenure, Joyce was a key member of two Senior VF Asia Executive Leadership teams, where she oversaw Information Technology (IT) strategy for VF Commercial brands and Global Product Supply. Joyce played a strategic role in leading and developing retail excellence and digital eCommerce technology innovation through collaborations with China digital titans including Alibaba and Tencent. She also successfully led the regional technology separation of a complex business spin-off initiative.

Prior to her role with VF corporation, Joyce was the Vice President and CIO of the Americas region for Janssen Pharmaceuticals. In this role, Joyce was a strategic member of the Janssen Americas Leadership Team and focused on IT strategy and developing and leading teams. Joyce worked in close collaboration with key pharmaceutical business stakeholders to drive transformation and value creation using innovative technology capabilities such as next generation digital patient access and support solutions. She modernized Medical Affairs and Medical Information capabilities, and enhanced customer engagement, data insight-driven and predictive solutions using advanced analytics to improve patient adherence and outcomes.

In addition to being a strategic technology leader, Joyce has proven business management capabilities and direct Profit & Loss experience. In an earlier role as Managing Director, Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Malaysia and Singapore, she led a diverse range of Johnson & Johnson Consumer personal care, healthcare and over-the-counter brands. Some of her key achievements included three years of consecutive double-digit top- and bottom-line growth and successful implementation of a new go-to-market sales business model.

DEIDRE MEEHAN

WORLDWIDE VICE PRESIDENT
GENERAL COUNSEL
PHARMACEUTICALS

Deidre Meehan is Worldwide Vice President, General Counsel, Pharmaceuticals. Deidre serves on the Law Department Legal Leadership Team and manages the Pharmaceuticals Legal Group globally.  Deidre is also a member of the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee.  In her role, Deidre continues to build on her years of experience as a trusted strategic partner and legal leader on Enterprise-wide regulatory matters and continues her strong focus on shaping the external environment to accelerate innovation for patients.

Prior to her current role, Deidre held the position of Worldwide Vice President, Regulatory Law, Johnson & Johnson.  Deidre led our Global Regulatory Law Group, providing counsel to and collaborating with our business and functional partners in bringing our innovative products from development through commercialization, and ultimately, to patients and consumers. Deidre worked particularly close with our Regulatory, Quality, Medical Safety, Medical Affairs and Compliance organizations in the businesses, R&D and Supply Chain, and focused on other specialty areas such as healthcare compliance and privacy law on a cross-Sector basis. Deidre also led the Regulatory Policy Council, a platform for the heads of the Regulatory Affairs groups, Worldwide Government Affairs & Policy and other key policy stakeholders.

Prior to her Worldwide Vice President, Regulatory Law role, Deidre held positions as the lead regulatory lawyer for the Pharmaceutical Sector and the Health Care Compliance practice group and as a regulatory lawyer supporting the Medical Device sector. Deidre joined the Johnson & Johnson Law Department in 2007.

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Deidre served as in-house counsel at Schering-Plough and at Daiichi Sankyo. Deidre started her legal career in the Health Care Practice Groups of McCarter & English and Proskauer Rose. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and Notre Dame Law School.

JOHN C. REED, M.D., PH.D.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
PHARMACEUTICALS, R&D
JOHNSON & JOHNSON

As Executive Vice President, Pharmaceuticals, R&D and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Executive Committee member, John’s mission is to focus the best research and development teams in the world at the intersection of unmet medical need and innovation to change the trajectory of human health. A biomedical research leader with a distinguished career across nonprofit, academia, and industry, John encourages a culture that is fast-paced and open to reimagining how life-saving medicines and vaccines are discovered, developed and delivered.  Employing multiple drug modalities, John’s team works across a wide range of therapeutic areas, including: Oncology, Cardiovascular, Metabolic and Retinal Disease, Pulmonary Hypertension, Immunology, Neuroscience, and Infectious Disease and Vaccines.

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson in April 2023, John held executive leadership positions at Sanofi and Roche, serving on their respective executive committees. He served as CEO of Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (now Sanford Burnham Prebys) where he established multiple therapeutic area-aligned research centers and platform technology centers. John has authored more than 900 research publications and holds more than 130 patents. He was recognized among the top 10 most cited researchers in life sciences and medicine and still ranks among the world’s top 100 most highly cited scientists. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the recipient of many honors and awards.

An accomplished scientist and leader, John holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville and an M.D. and Ph.D. (Immunology) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

NAUMAN SHAH

GLOBAL HEAD
JANSSEN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Nauman Shah is Global Head, Janssen Business Development. In this role, Nauman leads the Janssen Business Development organization in the identification, evaluation, execution, integration and management of global licensing, mergers & acquisitions (M&A), divestitures and out-licensing deals for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Previously, Nauman was Chief Strategic Customer Officer, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices, with responsibility for driving access and partnering strategies. Under his leadership, the Strategic Customer team developed and launched strategic value-based care programs that enhance operational efficiency for healthcare systems and implemented innovative contracting strategies and capabilities that leverage data science and analytics in decision-making. Nauman has championed initiatives to evolve our business models and to address healthcare disparities, in partnership with stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem. He is also the leader for the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices business in Canada with oversight for the entire portfolio and leads the North America Commercial Council.

In the past, Nauman served as Vice President, Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO) where he was Chief-of-Staff for Alex Gorsky. He worked closely with the Executive and Management Committees to drive the Company’s strategic planning process, to advance and execute enterprise growth initiatives and to lead key strategic projects. Before his Enterprise role, Nauman held roles of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, and portfolio management within the Pharmaceuticals sector for more than 20 years. During his tenure, he helped evaluate several licensing opportunities in collaboration with Business Development and worked closely with partner companies as well as our R&D organization on the development programs and launch plans for major products, including XARELTO® and INVOKANA®.

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Nauman worked at Pfizer/Pharmacia, where he played a significant role in the successful launches of three major products in the areas of urology, arthritis, and pain.

Nauman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Temple University. He also graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania after completing the General Management Program.

DARREN SNELLGROVE

VICE PRESIDENT
GROUP FINANCE
WORLDWIDE PHARMACEUTICALS

Darren Snellgrove is Vice President, Group Finance, Worldwide Pharmaceuticals. In this position, Darren will provide strategic and financial leadership to the Global Pharmaceuticals Group and partner with the Group Operating Company to further drive above-market growth with transformational medical innovation that yields successful business outcomes for the sector and enterprise.

Most recently, Darren was Vice President, Finance for Janssen Research & Development. Working closely with Pete Batesko, Darren led multiple strategic workstreams, improving financial performance, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness while significantly increasing the value of the portfolio. He was also a key leader for the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine project.

Prior to his current role, Darren was Vice President, Finance and Operations for Johnson & Johnson Innovation. This role included the Innovation Centers located in San Francisco, Boston, London and Shanghai, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC (J&J’s venture investment arm), J&J’s external incubators Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS, and Janssen Business Development (JBD) which is responsible for Pharmaceutical L&A. Darren helped to develop and build the business strategy for J&J Innovation, where he and his team built an impressive external portfolio using value creating deal structures in areas such as gene therapy, the microbiome, 3D Printing, surgical robotics, immuno-oncology, light therapy, wearables, and in Johnson & Johnson’s core therapeutic/business focus areas.

Darren joined Johnson & Johnson through the acquisition of Centocor in 1999, where he spent a number of years in roles of increasing responsibility supporting a variety of functions, including Commercial, R&D, and Business Development. Beginning in 2002, Darren spent three years in J&J’s Mergers and Acquisitions Finance group, providing financial leadership on over 100 potential acquisitions, major licensing deals, equity investments, options, structures, and divestitures across all sectors. Darren’s continued success led to his appointment in a series of leadership roles, where he quickly developed new capabilities and led to numerous growth opportunities in both Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices. Prior to joining the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Organization, Darren was VP of Finance and Procurement, Chief Financial Officer at Janssen AI.

Darren holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Southampton University in England and an MBA from Villanova University.

KRIS STERKENS

COMPANY GROUP CHAIRMAN,EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, AND AFRICA

Since starting his career at Janssen in Belgium almost 30 years ago, Kris Sterkens has been part of many teams across EMEA, Asia Pacific, and the United States.

Moving on from his latest role as the Company Group Chairman of Janssen Asia Pacific, Kris was appointed Company Group Chairman of Europe, Middle East and Africa in June 2017. He was excited to return to his home country, Belgium, after spending over three years in Singapore since February 2014 for the Asia Pacific business.

Under Kris’ stewardship, Janssen Asia Pacific achieved notable milestones, including a return to growth in China and a successful business transformation in Japan. Kris also led teams in Korea, Australia, and New Zealand and successfully competed against new biosimilar entrant, in addition to achieving industry-leading growth in India. Throughout his career, Kris has demonstrated exceptional leadership and an ability to identify and develop talent. For instance, in Asia Pacific, he introduced Company Group Chairman’s Dialogue, a talent development programme which has engaged more than 100 emerging leaders.

Prior to that, Kris was leading the EMEA Strategy Organisation, alongside his role as Managing Director of the region’s Mid-Sized Markets. He was also the Managing Director for Janssen the Netherlands, the Benelux countries, and then Germany from 2007–2012.

Before his transition into General Management, Kris was Vice President, Finance and Chief Finance Officer (CFO) for Janssen EMEA.

Kris holds a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Antwerp, a Master's degree in Financial Management from the Flemish Institute of Management, and an MBA from the Solvay Business School in Brussels. Kris is fluent in Dutch, English, German, and French and has been a frequent speaker at business schools, medical and patient group events, and industry meetings.

RICHARD TILLYER, Ph.D.

Global Head
Discovery, Product Development & Supply
Janssen Research & Development

Richard Tillyer, Ph.D, is Global Head, Discovery, Product Development & Supply, Janssen Research and Development. In this role, he leads an integrated discovery, process development and clinical supply organization that comprises all modalities including small molecules, traditional and non-traditional single molecule biologics, and larger, more complex multicomponent biologics including RNA, viruses and cells.

Rich joined Janssen in 2018 from Merck & Co (MSD outside the United States), where he acquired extensive experience in all stages of drug discovery and product development across numerous therapeutic areas and modalities. During his 25-year tenure, he led large and varying aspects of Merck Research Labs, including Process Chemistry, Toxicology, Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Formulation, Biologics and Vaccines Process Development, High Throughput Screening, Discovery Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, Computational Chemistry and various platform groups. Under his leadership, Rich’s teams contributed to the discovery and development of most major products introduced by Merck over the last two decades and significantly advanced the company’s current pipeline. He led or actively contributed to major strategic initiatives including large and small-scale mergers and R&D integrations (most notably, the integration of Schering-Plough announced in 2009).

Rich obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a post-doctoral research fellowship in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, UK. He has published more than 70 scientific articles and publications and he holds several patents.

SANDRA ELAINE WAITE

GLOBAL LEADER, PHARMACEUTICALS
COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Sandra (Sandy) Waite is Global Leader, Pharmaceuticals Communications & Public Affairs. In this role, Sandy leads our global communication and public affairs strategy across our worldwide Janssen organization.

Sandy brings more than two decades of experience to this role and a broad knowledge of communications practices in the healthcare industry across health plans, pharmaceuticals, and vision care.

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Sandy was the Chief Communications Officer at Guardian, where she was responsible for the development and execution of communications strategy for the company. In addition, she led a team of cross-functional communicators who drove all aspects of internal and external communications, including issues and crisis management, reputation and thought leadership, local and national media relations, corporate social responsibility, and meetings and events.

Previously, Sandy served as Vice President of CEO & Enterprise Communications at CVS Health where she led the team through the COVID-19 crisis.  Sandy joined CVS Health through the CVS merger with Aetna where she was Vice President of Communications, and strategic advisor to the President of Aetna.

Sandy held advancing leadership roles with growing responsibility at Novartis which culminated in her overseeing communications for the Drug Development organization, where she provided direct counsel to Novartis’ Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and the current CEO.  At Novartis Sandy gained international experience while living in Switzerland including as Global Head of Franchise Communications, Retina and Respiratory, which included experience in AMD, DME, RVO and CNV, alongside COPD and severe asthma.

Sandy developed strong experience in Vision as Head of Communications, America’s for Alcon (a NVS company), where she was responsible for developing and implementing communications programs aimed at delivering key objectives for Alcon's surgical, pharmaceutical and consumer/vision care businesses in the US, Canada, and Latin America. In this role, Sandy was a member of the North America Commercial and Global Communications leadership teams responsible for the strategic, operational, and financial priorities of the North America business and Communications function.  Sandy also spent time at CIBA Vision where she had roles of increasing responsibility in the communications and public relations function.

Sandy started her communications career on the agency side spending time at both Matlock Advertising & PR and Porter Novelli.

Sandy holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Spelman College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. Sandy serves as a Trustee on the Board of The Jackson Laboratory, an independent, non-profit biomedical research institution leader in mammalian genetics and human genomics research.

SCOTT WHITE

Company Group Chairman
North America Pharmaceuticals
Johnson & Johnson

Scott White is Company Group Chairman, North America, at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. A member of the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee, he is responsible for leading Janssen’s efforts to transform the health of people in the U.S. and Canada facing cancer, autoimmune disease, heart disease and diabetes, infectious diseases including HIV, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and serious mental illness.

In his 28-year career at Janssen, Scott has led some of our most significant businesses across multiple serious disease areas. He is a results-focused leader, widely respected for his strategic insight and commitment to developing high-performing, diverse teams.

As President, Janssen U.S. Immunology, Scott led Johnson & Johnson’s largest business, making a significant difference for people with debilitating autoimmune diseases through highly impactful medicines including REMICADE^®, STELARA^®, SIMPONI^®, SIMPONI ARIA^® and TREMFYA^®, and innovative patient support and access programs. Prior to his Immunology role, Scott was President of Janssen U.S. Oncology. Under Scott’s leadership, Janssen launched two transformational cancer treatments, IMBRUVICA^® for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and DARZALEX^® for multiple myeloma, making Janssen Oncology one of the fastest growing oncology businesses in the U.S. Previously, Scott held the position of Vice President, Strategic Customer Group, serving all Janssen U.S. businesses, where he led contracting and account management. In this critical role, he served as the market access leader to ensure people who need our medicines have access to them.

Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, where he double-majored in molecular biology and philosophy. He also received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.