Pfizer has appointed Chris Boshoff as its new Chief Scientific Officer and President of R&D.
After interviewing both internal and external candidates, Pfizer decided to promote Boshoff to the position from his previous role as Chief Oncology Officer and Executive VP.
Chris will succeed Dr Mikael Dolsten, who announced his departure from Pfizer earlier this year.
Through this promotion, Dr Boshoff will remain a member of Pfizer's Executive Leadership Team, reporting to the company's Chair and CEO, Dr Albert Bourla.
In this new role, Dr Boshoff will be responsible for overseeing the functions of R&D initiatives across all the therapeutic areas that Pfizer is active in.
Dr Roger Dansey will serve as interim Chief Oncology Officer, and both will enter these roles on January 1, 2025.
Dr Bourla commented: “Dr. Boshoff is the ideal leader to propel Pfizer’s R&D engine forward and transform it into a world-leading organisation with a more focused strategy, driving the delivery of additional impactful breakthrough medicines with blockbuster potential,”
“Chris has a compelling vision for the future of R&D at Pfizer and deep knowledge of our entire pipeline and R&D organisation that positions him well to succeed. He has an impressive record of building strong teams and delivering numerous breakthrough medicines. Under Chris’ leadership, Oncology has become one of Pfizer’s most productive divisions and his continued supervision will ensure that we achieve our goal of being a global leader in oncology and other core therapeutic areas.”
During Chris' time at Pfizer, he has delivered 24 approved medicines and biosimilars to patients in more than 30 disease indications.