Takeda has appointed Julie Kim as its new representative director, president and chief executive officer, following shareholder approval at the company’s 150th Annual General Meeting in Osaka. Shareholders elected Kim as an internal director to the Board of Directors, and the board subsequently named her representative director, president and CEO. With the conclusion of the meeting, former president and CEO Christophe Weber retired from both the company and the board, ending a 12-year tenure.
Board chair Masami Iijima said the directors are confident in Kim’s ability to drive execution as Takeda prepares to launch several medicines and pursue long-term shareholder value, and thanked Weber for his role in building global scale, an innovative pipeline and a reputation grounded in integrity. Kim said it is a “privilege and honor” to lead Takeda into its next era, highlighting three major launches planned over the next 12 months and a late-stage pipeline of five additional highly innovative assets. She framed the company’s growth roadmap around two strategic horizons aimed at delivering long-term profitable growth and increased patient impact for patients, employees and shareholders.
Kim brings more than 30 years of global healthcare experience, with a record of advancing innovation and expanding access to medicines. She joined Takeda in 2019 via the acquisition of Shire and has held senior roles including president of the Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit and president of the U.S. Business Unit, before becoming CEO‑elect in 2025. Takeda said her background in biopharmaceutical development and commercialization is central to its next growth chapter.
To support the leadership transition, shareholders also elected three new external directors to the board: Bruce Broussard, Koichiro Kimura and Paul Stoffels. Broussard brings broad leadership experience in global companies and expertise in the U.S. healthcare system. Kimura, former chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Japan, adds experience in geopolitical risk and corporate governance across Asia‑Pacific. Stoffels, who has overseen the global launch of 25 medicines in senior roles at Johnson & Johnson and as CEO of Galapagos, brings extensive pharmaceutical R&D experience.
Following the shareholder meeting, Takeda confirmed new director assignments. Among directors who are not Audit and Supervisory Committee members, Kim serves as representative director, president and CEO; Milano Furuta remains director and chief financial officer; and Andrew Plump continues as director and president of research and development. External director Masami Iijima continues as chair of the board meeting, with Steven Gillis, John Maraganore, Paul Stoffels and Miki Tsusaka serving as external directors; Stoffels also acts as a substitute Audit and Supervisory Committee member.
The Audit and Supervisory Committee is composed entirely of external directors, with Kimura as head of the committee and Broussard and Kimberly A. Reed as members. Takeda also confirmed that its Nomination and Compensation Committees remain fully external: the Nomination Committee is chaired by Iijima with Gillis and Kimura as members and Kim as an observer, while the Compensation Committee is chaired by Maraganore with Iijima, Reed and Tsusaka as members. In total, eight of Takeda’s 11 directors are external, and an external director continues to chair the board, a structure the company said is intended to ensure transparency and objectivity in governance.
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