Philip Morris Names Jorge Insuasty Chief Life Sciences Officer in Smoke-Free Strategy
Jorge Insuasty has been named chief life sciences officer at Philip Morris International, succeeding the retiring John O’Mullane.
The role is intended to mark the company’s commitment to developing a smoke-free future. Insuasty, most recently global franchise head of immunology, oncology and neurology for biotech company Sanofi Genzyme, will report to PMI CEO André Calantzopoulos.
Calantzopoulos said in a statement that Insuasty’s experience across both the pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare industries makes him the ideal candidate for the role at the No. 17 consumer goods company.
During his nine-year tenure at Sanofi, Insuasty played a prominent role in the turnaround of Sanofi’s R&D efforts, orchestrating significant transformational change within the R&D and commercial functions to substantially increase speed and efficiency, as well as foster external collaboration and innovation.
Prior to Sanofi, he spent eight years at Novartis International AG as global head of development, neuroscience and ophthalmology.
“Jorge is a transformational leader in science and medicine and excels in driving product portfolio development through to market success,” said Calantzopoulos. “Science and a consumer-focused product portfolio are the cornerstones of our ambition to replace cigarettes with products that are a better choice than continued smoking. Jorge’s impressive track record will help ensure we reach our goals and take full advantage of adjacent revenue-generating opportunities.”
“I am very excited to join PMI,” said Insuasty. “The company’s transformation, and smoke-free vision represent a tremendous public health opportunity and a business challenge, both of which I will be thrilled to contribute toward. And I also look forward to developing adjacent future growth drivers.”
