Novartis appoints new CEO for its oncology business unit

20 December 2018

Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX) announced today that Susanne Schaffert, currently president of its Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) business, has been appointed chief executive of Novartis Oncology.

She will report to Vas Narasimhan, CEO, Novartis, and will join the executive committee on January 1, 2019. Liz Barrett will be stepping down as CEO of Novartis Oncology effective December 31, 2018.

Dr Narasimhan said: "I am delighted that Susanne Schaffert, current president of AAA and a long-time Oncology and Novartis executive, has accepted the role of CEO, Oncology. Susanne is a successful business leader with very deep expertise in Oncology, an unwavering commitment to patients, and a strong track record of inspiring talent and building empowered, high performing organizations. She has our full support and confidence as we continue to invest in both our internal pipeline as well as external assets to strengthen our presence."

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