Mike Doustdar succeeds Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, who will step down as president and chief executive officer.

“This is an important moment for Novo Nordisk. The market is developing rapidly, and the company needs to address recent market challenges with speed and ambition. I believe Novo Nordisk will build on its strengths as a global leader in obesity and diabetes, and Mike has a clear vision of how to unlock the full potential of the opportunities ahead,” says Novo Nordisk Chair, Helge Lund.

Mike Doustdar

Mike Doustdar is currently Novo Nordisk’s executive vice president of International Operations. Under his leadership over the past decade, Novo Nordisk’s International Operations have more than doubled sales to approximately DKK 112 billion in 2024, describes the company. The business includes all of Novo Nordisk’s affiliates outside of the US and employs nearly 20,000 people.

Mike Doustdar became senior vice president of International Operations in 2013, a business that includes 80 affiliates – all of Novo Nordisk’s commercial affiliates outside of the US.

Prior to this role, Mike led Novo Nordisk’s Southeast Asia and Oceania commercial area out of Malaysia, following on from his leadership of the Middle East business. Prior to this, he was general manager based in Turkey and held leadership roles in finance and IT. Mike Doustdar became executive vice president in 2015. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Orion Corporation.

“It’s an enormous privilege to lead this company at a time of tremendous opportunity and change. I come to this role with a sense of urgency, a laser focus on high performance, and a fierce determination for Novo Nordisk to aim higher than it’s ever done, and to deliver to many more patients the innovation they need. From my decades in leadership roles across Novo Nordisk, I know the extraordinary talent and commitment of our people and the excellence of our science. This has enabled us to achieve great things in the past and will ensure we continue to do so in the future,” says Mike Doustdar.