Novartis' President of Oncology announces retirement

Novartis has announced that the President of its oncology business, Bruno Strigini, is to retire next year, citing personal reasons for the departure.

He is due to step back from the company’s Executive Committee by 31 December and will hand over his role to his successor early next year, whom Novartis says it will announce in due time.

Strigini joined the Swiss firm in 2014 from MSD, where he served as President for Europe and Canada. He has had a wide career spanning over 25 years in the industry at an international and local level in senior executive positions in companies such as SmithKline Beecham, Schering-Plough and UCB-Celltech. He is also a member of the Executive Committee for the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and the Académie Nationale de Pharmacie in France.

Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis, commented on the news of Strigini’s departure, saying: "I'd like to thank Bruno Strigini for his contributions and achievements. He has navigated the business unit through the Gleevec patent expiration and has led the successful integration of the GSK Oncology Product Portfolio acquired in 2015. I wish him the best for his future."