Executives/Novartis CEO
Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis

Who is the CEO of Novartis in 2026?

Vas Narasimhan is the Chief Executive Officer of Novartis. Vas has held the CEO seat since February 2018.

Updated September 24, 2026
Time in seat
8 years
CEO since February 2018
Years at company
21 years
Joined Novartis April 2005
Previous employers
1
Before Novartis
Summary
  • Vas Narasimhan rose through Novartis: Global Head of Disease Area Strategies, Novartis Pharmaceuticals from April 2005, then Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer from February 2016, before taking the CEO seat in February 2018.
  • Vas Narasimhan sits on the board of Anthropic.
  • Vas Narasimhan holds an MD from Harvard Medical School and an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School.

Current company

Novartis

Novartis is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation.

pharmaceutical industryHeadquartered in BaselFounded 1996Listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange

Source: Wikidata

Career and education

Vas Narasimhan joined Novartis in April 2005 and has been CEO since February 2018.

Career

  1. Novartis2005 to present
    • Chief Executive OfficerFebruary 2018 to present
    • Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical OfficerFebruary 2016 to January 2018
    • Global Head, DevelopmentSeptember 2014 to February 2016
    • Global Business Unit Head, Biopharmaceuticals & Oncology Injectables (Sandoz)April 2014 to August 2014
    • Global Head, DevelopmentJanuary 2012 to March 2014
    • President, US Vaccines; Region Head North AmericaDecember 2008 to January 2012
    • Vice President, US MarketingSeptember 2008 to December 2009
    • Global Head, Meningitis FranchiseMay 2007 to August 2008
    • Global Head of Disease Area Strategies, Novartis PharmaceuticalsApril 2005 to May 2007
  2. Anthropic2026 to present
    • Board Member

Sources: LinkedIn profile

Education

Harvard Medical School, MDHarvard Kennedy School, MPPUniversity of Chicago, BA, BiologySource

Decision makers by function

1,100+ decision makers at Novartis in Unify, vice president level and above. Choose a function to see who leads it.

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Top decision makers at Novartis

Vice president level and above, most senior first
Hannah PerryChief Strategy & Innovation Officer · CHE@novartis.com
Megan GibbsSVP Global Head PK Sciences · USA@novartis.com
Gail HorwoodChief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, Innovative Medicines, US · USA@novartis.com
Michiel van DuinChief People Technology, Data & Insights Officer · CHE@novartis.com
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Leadership team at Novartis

Vas Narasimhan leads a leadership team of 12 published executives.

Most senior 5 of 12

NameTitleIn seat since
Vas Narasimhan (Vasant Narasimhan)Chief Executive OfficerFebruary 2018
Shreeram AradhyePresident, Development, and Chief Medical OfficerNot stated
Mukul MehtaChief Financial OfficerNot stated
Karen L. HaleChief Legal and Compliance OfficerNot stated
Aharon GalChief Strategy & Growth OfficerNot stated

Sources: Novartis Executive Committee page

Frequently asked questions

Who is the CEO of Novartis?

Vas Narasimhan is the Chief Executive Officer of Novartis. Vas has held the CEO seat since February 2018.

When did Vas Narasimhan become CEO of Novartis?

Vas Narasimhan has been CEO of Novartis since February 2018, according to LinkedIn profile.

How long has Vas Narasimhan been CEO of Novartis?

Vas Narasimhan has been CEO of Novartis for 8 years, since February 2018.

Who else leads Novartis?

Shreeram Aradhye (President, Development, and Chief Medical Officer), Mukul Mehta (Chief Financial Officer), Karen L. Hale (Chief Legal and Compliance Officer), Aharon Gal (Chief Strategy & Growth Officer), and 7 more. Source: Novartis Executive Committee page.

Reach Novartis' decision makers

1,100+ leaders at vice president level and above, with verified work emails and phone numbers in Unify.

Methodology

The seat holder is identified in Unify's professional profile dataset, then confirmed against the company's published leadership page, its SEC filings, and Wikipedia before publication. Career and education rows carry the public document they were taken from. Leadership team membership follows the company's own leadership page; in-seat dates come from filings where available and otherwise from the profile record. Company figures are read from the Unify headcount page for the same company and are profile coverage measures, never company-reported workforce totals. The employee preview lists vice president and senior vice president level profiles by department. No personal contact details are published.

Identity confirmed against Wikipedia, Novartis. Last verified: September 24, 2026.