Harvard-trained Indian doctor Vasant Narasimhan, 41, chief medical officer and global head of drug development unit of the company at the Basel, Switzerland, will take over as the CEO of Novartis. The present incumbent of Novartis Joseph Jimenez has resigned after eight years at the helm of the company. Jimenez, 57, who will retire at the end of January, said his family.
Narasimhan, an American citizen of Indian origin, is the youngest among a group of new chieftains at global pharmaceutical companies. Prior to his current role, Narasimhan served as head of development for Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Before joining the company in 2005, he worked at McKinsey. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in the US and obtained a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's John F Kennedy School of Government. He holds a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the University of Chicago.
