Bristol Myers Squibb has announced that Cristian Massacesi will lead a unified, end-to-end Research & Development organization effective January 1, 2027. As part of the planned transition, Robert Plenge will remain with the company in an advisory capacity through March 2027 to support the transition before departing.
The unified organization will bring together BMS's scientific and clinical expertise as one team, strengthening collaboration from discovery through development. The company said the structure aims to advance its pipeline with greater speed and sharper focus.
Board Chair and CEO Christopher Boerner said bringing research and development together as one organization is an important step in positioning BMS for long-term growth, and that the new structure will more closely connect scientific and clinical expertise, accelerate decision-making and enhance portfolio execution. He said traditional boundaries between research and development are collapsing, and the combined organization sets BMS up to attract and retain talent, build capabilities and better integrate new technology.
Massacesi, executive vice president, chief medical officer and incoming Head of R&D, said the Research & Development teams are advancing exceptional science and uniting them will enable the company to translate promising discoveries into medicines for patients with greater speed and focus.
Plenge, executive vice president, chief research officer, said he is proud of what was accomplished in Research at BMS and that he and Massacesi developed the new R&D structure in partnership.
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