UK-based GSK to have new CEO

Emma Walmsley has led GSK since April 2017. Before joining GSK, Walmsley spent 17 years at L'Oreal, a cosmetics group. In 2020, she was awarded the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her work in the pharmaceutical industry and business.

Bloomberg reports that during Walmsley's tenure, the company's shares have fallen by approximately 11%, while the market value of its British competitor, AstraZeneca, has more than doubled (AstraZeneca's is now worth approximately $233 billion, while GSK's is approximately $78 billion). Investors had concerns about GSK's strategy to reach sales of £40 billion by 2031, up from £31 billion in 2024. At the same time, Walmsley says she is proud to leave her post in a stronger position than when she began her leadership.

Bloomberg also names Walmsley as one of the most outstanding female CEOs in British business and the global pharmaceutical industry. She led the pharmaceutical giant through the COVID-19 pandemic and the spinoff of its Haleon over-the-counter and consumer healthcare division in 2022. As Walmsley herself noted, she and her team invested heavily in the development of new drugs and brought to market such medications as Dovato for the treatment of HIV and the shingles vaccine Shingrix.

Internal and external candidates were considered for the CEO position. Luke Mills took over as head of GSK's Global Pharmaceuticals division in early 2017, but was appointed Chief Commercial Officer that fall. Prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca. Mills became the first person from another company to be appointed CEO by Walmsley. He began his career at AstraZeneca in 1995, but in 2000 he moved to Aventis, which was later acquired by Sanofi. He then worked at Roche and returned to AstraZeneca in 2014.

As Chief Commercial Officer at GSK, Mills is responsible for the company's global pharmaceuticals and vaccines business. Mills also worked on expanding the company's drug portfolio, including in oncology.

According to Sean Conroy of the independent investment group Shore Capital, the company's shares continue to trade at a "disproportionately large discount" to its peers due to GSK's "struggle to convince the market of its growth potential" as patents loom. He added that Mills has every chance of remaining at GSK until the end of the decade.

Like other major pharmaceutical companies, GSK plans to expand its presence in the US market. In September 2025, the company announced its intention to invest $30 billion in the US economy over the next five years. Emma Walmsley previously emphasized that the US is the "number one priority" for investment: 50% of the company's revenue comes from the US, GSK's key market. Furthermore, the company's investment announcement was supported by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called the investment an example of strategic cooperation between the two countries.