Viatris Inc. announced that as part of its ongoing board refreshment efforts, Leo Groothuis has been appointed as Viatris' newest member of its board of directors. Groothuis fills the vacancy created by the previous departure of Michael Goettler in April of this year. Groothuis has significant international experience and serves as General Counsel of HAL Investments, the Dutch investment subsidiary of HAL Holding N.V., an international investment company listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange, which is focused on increasing shareholder value.

In addition to his strategic, financial and governance focus, he has also been actively involved in the development and execution of HAL Investments' ESG strategy. Throughout his career, Groothuis has been a trusted C-suite and board advisor to some of the largest companies in both Europe and the U.S. Prior to his role at HAL Investments, he served as practice leader at NautaDutilh, an international law firm, where he guided numerous multi-national companies on significant and complex transactions. As a result, he is recognized as a top lawyer and thought leader in corporate governance, capital markets and M&A. On May 19, 2023, Robert J. Coury, the Executive Chairman of Viatris Inc. (the “Company” or “Viatris”), agreed with the independent members of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) to transition to a new role as Chairman Emeritus and Senior Strategic Advisor from the conclusion of the Company’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “2023 Annual Meeting”) through the end of 2025 (the same period that Mr. Coury previously committed to the Company under his Executive Employment Agreement when Viatris was created).

As a result of Mr. Coury’s agreement to serve in this advisory role, the independent members of the Board and Mr. Coury agreed that Mr. Coury will not stand for re-election at the 2023 Annual Meeting and will cease to be a director and to serve as an officer and employee of the Company effective as of the conclusion of the 2023 Annual Meeting. The Board will select a new independent chair of the Board who will be announced in the coming months and whose tenure is intended to begin following the 2023 Annual Meeting. Mr. Coury previously served in various roles for Mylan, including as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman, since 2002.

Mr. Coury grew Mylan from the third-largest generics pharmaceutical company in the United States to one of the largest, strongest and most well-diversified and respected pharmaceutical companies in the world, laying the strong foundation for the Company as it stands today. Mr. Coury, in the final stages of the build-out phase of Mylan’s strategic plan, also played an instrumental and pivotal role in identifying and consummating the combination of Mylan with Pfizer Inc.’s Upjohn business to form Viatris on November 16, 2020. Mr. Coury has led the Company’s strategy on highly complex matters and other strategic initiatives including significant mergers and acquisitions, among other matters.