Full Press Release Details
Bel n Garijo to become Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi
Paris, February 12, 2026. Sanofi's Board of Directors met on February 11, 2026, and decided not to renew the
Director mandate of Paul Hudson. As a result, Paul Hudson's last day as Chief Executive Officer will be on February 17, 2026 at the end of business. The Board thanks him for his valuable contributions to the transformation and development
of the Group over the last six years.
Following the proposal of the Appointments Committee, the Board of Directors appointed Bel n Garijo
as Chief Executive Officer. She will take up her duties at the end of the Group's Annual General Meeting on April 29, 2026. The Board will also propose to the shareholder vote the candidacy of Bel n Garijo as a director of the
Olivier Charmeil, Executive Vice President, General Medicines, and member of the
Executive Committee since 2011, will assume the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer during this transition.
Bel n Garijo will bring
an increased rigor to the implementation of Sanofi's strategy and accelerate the preparation of the Group's future. Her priority will be to strengthen the productivity, governance, and innovation capacity of Research &
Bel n Garijo, MD, joined Merck KGaA in 2011 and became its Chief Executive Officer in 2021, becoming the first woman to lead
a DAX40 company in Germany. She is a Spanish national who worked in a hospital for six years, before embarking on a brilliant career in the pharmaceutical industry, first in the Research and Development department of Abbott, then for 15 years at
Sanofi. She was Vice President of Pharmaceutical Operations for Europe and Canada and a member of Sanofi's Executive Committee.
operated in many European countries and the US, where she led the integration of Genzyme during its acquisition. A strategic leader recognized beyond the pharmaceutical industry, she is a member of the Board of Directors of BBVA and was a member of
the Board of Directors of L'Or al for 10 years.
Oud a, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: "Sanofi's Board of Directors thanks Paul Hudson for his work and the strategic initiatives he has launched during his tenure. The
Board is pleased to welcome Bel n Garijo as Chief Executive Officer. She is a well-recognized leader in our industry with an undisputable reputation. She knows the Sanofi Group very well, where she has held important positions and achieved
many successes for 15 years. She has the experience and profile to accelerate the pace, strengthen the quality of execution of strategy and lead the next growth cycle of the company, which is essential to build the Group's future. In a
rapidly changing pharmaceutical industry, we place Sanofi in experienced hands and Bel n Garijo's brilliant international career attests to her strategic vision and her ability to drive profound and value-creating transformations with a
culture of rigor to serve the best interests of patients."
(*) The appointment of Bel n Garijo as a director, as well as
the amendment of the articles of association to raise the age limit of the Chief Executive Officer upon appointment, necessary for this election, will be proposed to the vote of the shareholders at the General Meeting of April 29, 2026.
Sanofi is an R&D driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people's lives and
delivering compelling growth. We apply our deep understanding of the immune system to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world, with an innovative pipeline that could benefit millions more. Our team is
guided by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people's lives; this inspires us to drive progress and deliver positive impact for our people and the communities we serve, by addressing the most urgent healthcare,
environmental, and societal challenges of our time. Sanofi is listed on EURONEXT: SAN and NASDAQ: SNY
Sandrine Guendoul | +33 6 25 09 14 25 |
Evan Berland | +1 215
432 0234 | evan.berland@sanofi.com
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