Chris Boshoff will take over as Pfizer’s next chief scientific officer as of January 1, replacing Mikael Dolsten who led the pharma through the COVID-19 pandemic. The move comes weeks after Pfizer faced pressure from activist investor Starboard Value.
Pfizer has picked oncology head Chris Boshoff as its next chief scientist, replacing Mikael Dolsten who is leaving after 15 years at the company.
Boshoff will take over the role of chief scientific officer and president of research and development as of January 1, 2025. He rises from his position as chief oncology officer and executive vice president to oversee Pfizer’s entire R&D organization across all therapeutics areas. Boshoff has been with Pfizer for 11 years, working on 24 medicines and biosimilars in over 30 indications, Pfizer said in the Wednesday morning release.
“Chris has a compelling vision for the future of R&D at Pfizer and deep knowledge of our entire pipeline and R&D organization that positions him well to succeed,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. “Under Chris’ leadership, oncology has become one of Pfizer’s most productive divisions and his continued supervision will ensure that we achieve our goal of being a global leader in oncology and other core therapeutic areas.”
Dolsten’s departure was announced earlier this year. He led Pfizer through the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing the vaccines and therapeutics programs that have defined the company’s entry into the 2020s. During his tenure, 35 drugs and vaccines were approved, including half that were new molecular entities, Pfizer said in the July release announcing his departure. Dolsten joined Pfizer in 2009 as part of the acquisition of Wyeth.
Pfizer will hunt for a permanent replacement for Boshoff’s chief oncology officer role, but Chief Development Officer Roger Dansey will fill it on an interim basis in the meantime, transferring his duties as chief development officer to Johanna Bendell, who will join Pfizer from Roche. Dansey will retire once the chief oncology officer role is filled.
The chief development officer role has been in flux since last year, when Pfizer shuffled its R&D leadership to prepare for the integration of Seagen. At that time, William Pao departed the role for opportunities outside the company. He has since resurfaced as CEO of stealth-mode oncology biotech Revelio Therapeutics and as an independent board member at several other early-stage companies.
Boshoff joined the executive leadership team and became chief oncology officer in the R&D shake up, taking over the entire oncology pipeline.
The executive change comes as Pfizer faces pressure from activist investor Starboard Value. The firm has criticized Bourla and other leaders at the company for “dramatically” underperforming peers and the market. But Pfizer still beat analyst expectations in the third quarter with revenue of $17.7 billion compared to an estimate of $14.92 billion. The beat helped take the pressure off, with analysts from Guggenheim calling the third quarter performance “very strong.”
