The Board of Directors initiates CEO succession

Valby, Denmark, June 26, 2023 - H. Lundbeck A/S (Lundbeck) today announced that the Board of Directors has initiated CEO succession.

Deborah Dunsire has chosen to retire from Lundbeck after having successfully strengthened Lundbeck’s position since her appointment in 2018. 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.

"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, and continues:

“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.”

“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 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.

Financial guidance for 2023 unchanged

This announcement does not change the financial guidance for 2023 as provided in the interim report for Q1 2023 on May 10, 2023.

Lundbeck contacts

About H. Lundbeck A/S

Lundbeck is a global pharmaceutical company specialized in brain diseases. For more than 70 years, we have been at the forefront of neuroscience research. We are tirelessly dedicated to restoring brain health, so every person can be their best. We are committed to fighting stigma and discrimination against people living with brain diseases and advocating for broader social acceptance of people with brain health conditions. Our research programs tackle some of the most complex challenges in neuroscience, and our pipeline is focused on bringing forward transformative treatments for brain diseases for which there are few, if any therapeutic options.

For additional information, we encourage you to visit our corporate site www.lundbeck.com and connect with us on Instagram (h_lundbeck), Twitter at @Lundbeck and via LinkedIn. 

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H. Lundbeck A/S

Ottiliavej 9, 2500 Valby, Denmark

+45 3630 1311

info@lundbeck.com