Johnson & Johnson announced Aug. 19 that Joaquin Duato will succeed Alex Gorsky as CEO of the medtech and pharmaceutical giant in January 2022.
Eight things to know:
1. Mr. Duato's career at Johnson & Johnson spans more than 30 years across multiple business sectors, geographies and functions.
2. Since 2018, he has served as vice president of the executive committee, where he provides strategic direction for the pharmaceutical and consumer health sectors — a $60 billion portfolio — and oversees the global supply chain, technology and health and wellness teams.
3. On Jan. 3, 2022, Mr. Duato will become CEO and a board member at the company, and Mr. Gorsky — who has held the role since 2012 — will transition into the executive chair role.
4. Last year, Mr. Duato oversaw Johnson & Johnson's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and coordinated global initiatives to protect employees' health, ensure business and supply chain continuity and accelerate the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the company.
5. He has a master of business administration degree from the Esade business school in Barcelona and a master of international management degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix.
6. The boards Mr. Duato sits on include Unicef USA, Tsinghua University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Beijing and the Hess Corp., a global company devoted to exploring oil, gas and energy solutions.
7. He is also the executive sponsor of Johnson & Johnson's African Ancestry Leadership Council. Mr. Duato said he is committed to nurturing a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace — work that has been recognized by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association when he received the Honorable Mentor award in 2017.
8. Mr. Duato is a dual citizen of Spain and the United States.