Cambridge, Mass. — Takeda has appointed Julie Kim as representative director, president and chief executive officer, completing an 18-month leadership transition.
Shareholders elected Kim as an internal director during Takeda’s 150th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in Osaka. The board subsequently appointed her president and CEO.
Former President and CEO Christophe Weber retired from the company and its board following the meeting after 12 years at Takeda.
“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,” said Masami Iijima, chair of Takeda’s board meetings.
Kim said Takeda plans three major product launches during the next 12 months and is advancing five additional late-stage assets.
“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,” Kim said.
Kim has more than 30 years of global health care experience. She joined Takeda in 2019 through its acquisition of Shire and previously served as president of the company’s Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit and U.S. Business Unit. She was named CEO-elect in 2025.
Shareholders also elected Bruce Broussard, Koichiro Kimura and Dr. Paul Stoffels as new external directors.
Broussard has experience leading global companies and working within the U.S. health care system. Kimura, a former chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Japan, has experience in geopolitical risk and corporate governance in the Asia-Pacific region.
Stoffels previously served as chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson and CEO of biotechnology company Galapagos. He has overseen the global launches of 25 medicines.
Takeda’s 11-member board now includes eight external directors. An external director will continue to chair board meetings, while the Audit and Supervisory, Nomination and Compensation committees will be composed entirely of external directors.
Milano Furuta will continue as director and chief financial officer, while Andrew Plump will remain director and president of research and development. Iijima will remain external director and chair of board meetings.
Koichiro Kimura was appointed head of the Audit and Supervisory Committee, with Broussard and Kimberly A. Reed serving as committee members.
Iijima will chair the Nomination Committee, while John Maraganore will chair the Compensation Committee.
