Gilead - Daniel O'Day
Gilead revealed that Daniel O’Day shall replace outgoing CEO, John Milligan, and will begin his new role on March 1, 2019.
O’Day joins Gilead after spending the duration of his professional career at Roche, where he started in commercial roles before working his way up to become CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals over the course of three decades with the company.
Whilst in the role, he oversaw the commercialisation of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), a treatment for multiple sclerosis, which became a blockbuster drug for the company just over a year after it launched.
With Gilead looking to roll out its CAR-T treatments across major markets, O’Day’s experience at successfully launching new products will be a bonus to the company.
John Martin, chairman of Gilead, said: “He is uniquely qualified to take on this role given his track record of success in highly scientific and competitive therapeutic areas, deep understanding of the evolving healthcare environment around the world, and unwavering commitment to driving innovation across all aspects of a business, which will serve Gilead and our stakeholders well.”
Martin, himself, will be departing the company on the day that O’Day joins, marking a significant shift in the leadership of the company. Together, Martin and Milligan have led Gilead for the last twenty years.
“I have long admired Gilead for its work to develop medicines that have fundamentally changed the way HIV and viral hepatitis are treated. The company has successfully grown into a global organisation, providing access to people around the world, while maintaining its focus on innovative science,” said O’Day on his new role.
