Sanofi has confirmed that Belén Garijo will take over as Chief Executive Officer later this year, following a decision by the company’s Board of Directors not to renew the mandate of current CEO Paul Hudson.
The Board met on 11 February 2026 and agreed that Paul Hudson’s term as Director would not be renewed. As a result, his final day in the role of Chief Executive Officer will be 17 February 2026 at the close of business. The Board thanked Mr Hudson for his contribution to the transformation and development of the Group over the past six years.
Following a recommendation from the Appointments Committee, the Board appointed Belén Garijo as the next Chief Executive Officer. She is due to take up the role at the end of Sanofi’s Annual General Meeting on 29 April 2026. The Board will also propose Belén Garijo’s appointment as a director of the Group to shareholders at the meeting.
During the transition period, Olivier Charmeil, Executive Vice President, General Medicines, and a member of the Executive Committee since 2011, will take on the position of Interim Chief Executive Officer.
Sanofi said Belén Garijo will bring greater rigour to the delivery of the company’s strategy and will focus on preparing the Group for its next phase. A key priority for her will be to improve productivity, governance and innovation within Research & Development.
Belén Garijo, MD, joined Merck KGaA in 2011 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2021, becoming the first woman to lead a DAX40 company in Germany. A Spanish national, she spent six years working in a hospital before moving into the pharmaceutical industry. Her career includes roles in Research and Development at Abbott, followed by 15 years at Sanofi. During her time at Sanofi, she served as Vice President of Pharmaceutical Operations for Europe and Canada and was a member of the Group’s Executive Committee.
She has worked across several European markets and in the United States, where she led the integration of Genzyme following its acquisition. Beyond the pharmaceutical sector, she is a member of the Board of Directors of BBVA and previously served on the Board of Directors of L’Oréal for 10 years.
Commenting on the appointment, Frédéric Oudéa, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: “Sanofi’s Board of Directors thanks Paul Hudson for his work and the strategic initiatives he has launched during his tenure. The Board is pleased to welcome Belén Garijo as Chief Executive Officer. She is a well-recognized leader in our industry with an undisputable reputation. She knows the Sanofi Group very well, where she has held important positions and achieved many successes for 15 years. She has the experience and profile to accelerate the pace, strengthen the quality of execution of strategy and lead the next growth cycle of the company, which is essential to build the Group’s future. In a rapidly changing pharmaceutical industry, we place Sanofi in experienced hands and Belén Garijo’s brilliant international career attests to her strategic vision and her ability to drive profound and value-creating transformations with a culture of rigor to serve the best interests of patients.”
