Daniel Vasella

Daniel Vasella is a Swiss physician, executive, author, former CEO of Sandoz Pharma, and former CEO and chairman of Novartis AG. Vasella was born in 1953 in Fribourg, Switzerland. He studied medicine at the University of Bern and obtained his M.D. in 1980. Dr. Vasella practiced medicine in Bern and Zurich, and was chief resident at Bern University Hospital until 1988, when he resigned in order to work in pharmaceutical sales for Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corporation in New Jersey, the United States-based division of Swiss drug firm Sandoz Pharma Ltd. In 1989, Vasella completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard University Business School. In 1992, Vasella returned to Switzerland as head of global marketing for Sandoz Pharma. In 1994, Vasella was named CEO of Sandoz Pharma, a position he held until 1996.

In 1996, Sandoz Ltd. merged with Swiss healthcare group Ciba-Geigy Ltd. in a $29 billion merger to form Novartis AG, at which time Vasella was named CEO. He was appointed chairman of Novartis in 1999. Vasella served as CEO until 2010 and as chairman until 2013. In 2003, Vasella published the book Magic Cancer Bullet: How a Tiny Orange Pill Is Rewriting Medical History, co-written with Robert Slater, in which he discussed Novartis’ cancer drug Gleevec, also known as Glivec. Vasella has served on the board of directors of Numab, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, XBiotech, American Express, Alcon, McKinsey & Company, and PepsiCo.

In 2003, Vasella was awarded Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Award and the CancerCare Human Services Award. In 2004, he was named "the most influential European business leader of the last 25 years" by The Financial Times.