Lundbeck has announced that the Board of Directors has initiated CEO succession.
Deborah Dunsire has chosen to retire from Lundbeck. The Board of Directors has appointed Charl van Zyl as new President and CEO of Lundbeck. Deborah Dunsire will continue to serve as President and CEO until Charl van Zyl assumes the position no later than October 1, 2023.
We look forward to welcoming Charl as new President & CEO. His vast experience from the pharmaceutical industry and the CNS field combined with a strong patient focus and extensive market understanding and commercial execution track record from both listed companies and private equity makes him an excellent fit for Lundbeck.”
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Deborah for her contributions over the past almost five years. Deborah has, together with the rest of the management team, done an excellent job in driving the strong commercial performance and changing and strengthening our R&D pipeline both through internal transformation and through some important acquisitions and licenses, creating a strong foundation for Lundbeck’s further growth and advancement,” says Lars Rasmussen, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We look forward to welcoming Charl as new President & CEO. His vast experience from the pharmaceutical industry and the CNS field combined with a strong patient focus and extensive market understanding and commercial execution track record from both listed companies and private equity makes him an excellent fit for Lundbeck.”
Read more: Exclusive interview: Deborah Dunsire
“Lundbeck is in a very strong position going into the coming years with great momentum in our strategic brands. Q1 2023 was our strongest revenue quarter ever and we have now launched Rexulti in a blockbuster indication in AADAD. We see excellent progress with our pipeline developments coming through the successful transformation in Lundbeck’s R&D approach and focus. Lundbeck is therefore well positioned for the future, with a strong executive team in place, so this is the right timing to make this change,” says President and CEO Deborah Dunsire.
Charl van Zyl
Charl van Zyl is currently EVP and Head of Neurology globally and responsible for corporate activities in Europe and International markets in UCB, a global biopharma company within CNS and immunology. Prior to joining UCB, Charl has worked for Eli Lilly and Novartis and has been based in South Africa, United States, Japan and Switzerland. Charl is South African and holds a degree in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Cape Town, South Africa
“Neuroscience is one of the most important therapeutic areas of the future, which is why I am thrilled to join Lundbeck, one of the only pharmaceutical companies in the world focusing exclusively on neuroscience with a clear mission to improve the lives of people living with brain disorders. I look forward to being part of Lundbeck’s continued journey to expand its international position in global life science for the benefit of patients, partners, employees and shareholders,” says Charl van Zyl.
