Eli Lilly in leadership chances

Eli Lilly has made certain leadership changes, promoting several experienced Lilly leaders to executive roles, effective in 2018.

Josh Smiley has been promoted to senior vice president and chief financial officer and will become a member of Lilly’s executive committee, effective January 1, 2018. Lilly announced in June that Derica Rice, Lilly’s current CFO, would retire at year-end.

Dan Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., has been promoted to senior vice president for science and technology and president of Lilly Research Labs and will become a member of Lilly’s executive committee. This change is effective June 1, 2018.

Myles O’Neill has been promoted to senior vice president and president of manufacturing operations and will become a member of Lilly’s executive committee, effective January 1, 2018.

Aarti Shah, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief information officer, has been named an executive officer and will join Lilly’s executive committee, effective January 1, 2018. Positioning the information technology function as a direct report to the CEO is critical given the role digital technology and analytics will play in the future of healthcare.

“Joining our executive team are individuals who have the experience, expertise and leadership skills to build on our momentum of innovation driven volume growth,” said chairman and chief executive officer, David A. Ricks. “Importantly, this team will help us maintain focus as we work to bring forward new medicines in diabetes, cancer, immunology, neurodegeneration and pain and change the path of serious disease.”

“We are in a strong position today thanks to the incredible commitment from all three of our executives who are announcing retirements this year – Derica, whose retirement was announced in June, as well as Maria Crowe and Jan Lundberg,” added Ricks. “They’ve been a key part of our success over the last decade and today.”