Sanofi shareholders approved the appointment of Belén Garijo as a member of the company’s Board of Director. The decisions were taken at Sanofi’s mixed general meeting of shareholders held in Paris on April 29, 2026, chaired by Frédéric Oudéa.
All resolutions presented to the meeting were approved, including the financial statements for fiscal year 2025 and the payment of an ordinary annual dividend of €4.12 per share, scheduled for May 7, 2026. The meeting also approved the renewal of board mandates for Christophe Babule and Jean‑Paul Kress and the appointment of Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange, as an independent board member.
Following these changes, Sanofi’s Board of Directors comprises 16 members, including two employee representatives. According to the company, 79% of board members are independent, 57% are women, and eight members are of foreign nationality, representing 50% of the board.
After the departures of Paul Hudson and Patrick Kron, the Board appointed Frédéric Oudéa as Chairman of the Appointments, Governance and CSR Committee. It also named Belén Garijo as a member of the Strategic Committee and Christel Heydemann as a member of both the Appointments, Governance and CSR Committee and the Compensation Committee.
Garijo is a physician specializing in clinical pharmacology and previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Merck, having joined that company in 2011. Before Merck, she held roles including Senior Vice President of Global Operations Europe at Sanofi‑Aventis and earlier leadership positions in R&D and commercial development at other healthcare companies. She began her career as a practicing physician at La Paz Hospital in Madrid.
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