After Emma Walmsley steps down as GSK CEO in January, Vertex Pharma’s Reshma Kewalramani will be the sole female CEO at a top-20 pharma company. Still, there are many prominent women in pharma that could someday break through again.
The departure of GSK CEO Emma Walmsley leaves a hole in the top pharma ranks. She was the first woman to helm a top pharma company and today remains one of two, the other being Vertex Pharma’s Reshma Kewalramani, who took the helm in 2020.
Neither woman has been particularly outspoken about being the lone women at the top of the pharma world. Instead, they focus on execution—which is something I’ve admired about both over the years.
I write a lot about women’s leadership in biopharma. One struggle I personally have is how to elevate women without making the story solely about them being women. I want to show their leadership, their unique strengths and their skill in an effort to more subtly show that women belong in every C-suite, every board room and every role.
In August, I put together a chart of the leadership history for the top 10 pharmas by market cap. With GSK and Vertex both missing the cut, all 32 CEOs were men. I was stunned. I knew it would be that way, of course, but seeing it laid out that way was shocking.
With Walmsley’s exit from GSK, the glass seems to be sealing on the CEO role. But there are many prominent women in pharma that could someday chisel at it again.
For example, Roche’s Teresa Graham serves as CEO of pharmaceuticals, a massive role that includes overseeing innovative medicine units Genentech and Chugai. Biogen’s C-suite, meanwhile, is stacked with excellent women, perhaps more so than any other biopharma out there. Head of Research Jane Grogan, Head of Development Priya Singhal, CFO Robin Kramer, the list goes on. CEO Chris Viehbacher just began the role in 2022 and likely has a long tenure to come, but I’d put my money on his successor being one of these talented women.
I hope Walmsley goes on to something great. We did not hear the familiar trope about retiring so I suspect she will pop up in another C-suite or other important role eventually.
In the meantime, I will personally miss her quiet leadership, even through tough times like the pandemic and the split off of consumer unit Haleon.
Let’s hope that her legacy leads to more women in charge.
