Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced the future leadership team of the combined company effective upon completion of the company's pending merger with Celgene Corporation. The new structure will focus on the innovation core to both companies' success, pairing internal discovery with strong partnerships that provide access to external innovation. Rupert Vessey, M.A., B.M., B.Ch., F.R.C.P., D.Phil., will serve as President, Research & Early Development, reporting to Caforio and serving as a member of the Leadership Team.

Vessey is the current President, Research & Early Development at Celgene. Under Vessey's leadership, the R&ED organization will work as a cohesive unit across Discovery, Early Development and Translational Medicine to advance promising assets through the early pipeline. Vessey will oversee the company's expanded range of discovery platforms to drive scientific advancements across therapeutic areas and will work closely with Business Development to identify external sources of innovation.

Samit Hirawat, M.D., will join Bristol-Myers Squibb as the Chief Medical Officer, Global Drug Development, leading the development organization across therapeutic areas. Hirawat will report to Caforio and will serve as a member of the Leadership Team. Hirawat will be joining from Novartis where he was most recently Executive Vice President and Head of Oncology Development.

Tom Lynch, M.D., will continue to serve as Executive Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer, reporting to Caforio and serving as a member of the Leadership Team until he departs the company by October 1, 2019, to pursue opportunities in healthcare. Lynch has played a significant role in evolving R&D, including enhancing the company's translational medicine capabilities and increasing its focus on disease biology and data and analytics. Chris Boerner, Ph.D., will continue in his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercialization Officer, reporting to Caforio and serving as a member of the Leadership Team.

Boerner is currently responsible for commercial strategy and execution for the BMS portfolio across all geographies. Following transaction close, he will assume an expanded role, overseeing the combined company's Oncology, Immunology and Cardiovascular global businesses, Worldwide Value, Access and Pricing, and Worldwide Commercial Operations. The Global Medical organization will also report to Boerner following the transaction close.

Nadim Ahmed will serve as President, Hematology, reporting to Caforio and serving as a member of the Leadership Team. Ahmed is the current President, Global Hematology & Oncology at Celgene. Following transaction close, Ahmed will oversee the company's Hematology business including Cell Therapy.

Ahmed brings deep expertise in Hematology, an area of critical importance for the combined company's near-term success, including four potential near-term launches. David Elkins, who is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Celgene, will be appointed the company's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, reporting to Caforio and serving as a member of the Leadership Team. Elkins has a long career in finance, including roles of increasing responsibility at Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca and as the Chief Financial Officer of Becton Dickinson.

Elkins will have oversight of the Finance organization, Business Insights & Analytics and Procurement. Following transaction close, Charles Bancroft will work closely with Elkins to ensure an effective transition of all financial and operational matters. He will also continue with the company as Executive Lead for Integration, reporting to Caforio and serving as a member of the Leadership Team, until he retires from the company during 2020 after 35 years of service.