OSAKA, Japan & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the final step of its 18-month CEO transition, Takeda (TOKYO:4502/NYSE:TAK) today announced that Julie Kim was officially appointed Takeda’s Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer.

During the 150th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, which took place in Osaka, Japan, shareholders elected Julie as a new internal director to the Board of Directors. Following the vote and conclusion of the meeting, the Board of Directors appointed her as Representative Director, President & CEO. Upon conclusion of the meeting, former president & CEO Christophe Weber retired from the Company and the Board.

Chair of the Board of Directors Meeting, Masami Iijima, commented: “On behalf of Takeda’s Board of Directors, I would like to congratulate Julie Kim on becoming Takeda’s President and CEO. The Board of Directors is confident in Ms. Kim to drive executional excellence as Takeda launches a number of highly anticipated medicines and grows long-term shareholder value. The Board would like to thank Christophe Weber for his 12 years of extraordinary service to Takeda. He delivered global scale and an innovative pipeline, while strengthening Takeda’s reputation globally as a company built on integrity. We wish him all the best in the future.”

President & CEO, Julie Kim, commented: “It is a privilege and honor to lead Takeda and position the company for long-term profitable growth and increased patient impact. I would like to thank Christophe for his leadership over the last 12 years and in particular, his guidance during the transition period. I would also like to thank our shareholders, Mr. Iijima and the Board of Directors, including the six retiring external Directors, for their support. Going forward, I’m excited to partner with the elected Board to continue our important work for patients and other stakeholders. As we enter our next era, we have three major launches planned in the next 12 months and we are continuing to advance our robust pipeline of five additional highly innovative late-stage assets. Our growth roadmap built around our two strategic horizons positions us for a successful future for patients, our talented employees and shareholders.”

Julie Kim brings more than three decades of global healthcare experience and a track record of advancing innovation, expanding access to life-changing medicines and delivering meaningful impact for patients and communities. She joined Takeda in 2019 through the acquisition of Shire and held several executive-level roles, including president of the Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit and president of the U.S. Business Unit before becoming CEO-elect in 2025. Learn more about Julie’s experience and leadership roles on Takeda.com.

To help guide Takeda’s next growth chapter, shareholders elected members of the Board of Directors, including three new external directors: Bruce Broussard, Koichiro Kimura and Dr. Paul Stoffels.

• Mr. Broussard brings decades of leadership experience with large global companies and international business management, and deep expertise in the U.S. healthcare system.
• As the former Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Japan, Mr. Kimura has extensive experience in geopolitical risk and corporate governance across the Asia-Pacific region.
• Dr. Stoffels brings an exceptional track record in pharmaceutical R&D innovation, having overseen the global launch of 25 medicines, first as Chief Science Officer at Johnson & Johnson, and then as CEO of biotechnology company Galapagos.

At the Board of Directors and the Audit and Supervisory Committee meetings following the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, new assignments of directors were determined. Takeda's Board of Directors has eight members serving as external directors out of a total of 11 members, helping to ensure transparency and objectivity. An external director will continue to chair the Board of Directors meeting. The Audit and Supervisory Committee, the Nomination Committee and the Compensation Committee will be composed solely of external directors including their chairs.

About Takeda
Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit www.takeda.com.

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