Leif Johansson confirms AstraZeneca retirement plans for 2023

The end of an era is approaching at Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) as Leif Johansson (pictured above), non-executive chairman of the board, confirmed that he will be retiring in 2023.

At that point, Mr Johansson will have been in the role for 11 years, having gone beyond the nine years that non-executive directors would typically serve in line with UK corporate governance best practice.

The board asked Mr Johansson to stay on, however, to help the company to complete the acquisition of the rare diseases firm Alexion, and he has agreed to do so again for the next year to facilitate succession planning and the transition to a new chair.