Leadership Team

Giovanni Caforio, M.D. has been chief executive officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb since May 2015 and has been serving on the company’s Board of Directors since June 2014. In May 2017, he assumed the role of chairman of the board.

As CEO, Giovanni has led the company’s focus on researching and developing transformational medicines, which includes a leading portfolio of immunotherapies that are fundamentally changing the way cancer is treated. Under his leadership, BMS is evolving its operating model, in order to increase speed and competitiveness. 

With a background as a physician, Giovanni has helped strengthen the company’s patient-focused culture -- one driven by innovation, speed, accountability and passion. As a leader, he is focused on the business value of a company culture that promotes and rewards diversity and inclusion. 

Prior to becoming CEO, Giovanni served as chief operating officer with responsibility for leading a fully integrated worldwide commercial organization and the companywide functions of Enterprise Services and Global Manufacturing & Supply. This was preceded by his work as the company’s chief commercial officer. 

Giovanni joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2000 as vice president and general manager, Italy, in the Worldwide Medicines Group. He assumed added responsibility for Greece and Israel in 2001, and for South East Europe in 2003. In 2004, he was appointed senior vice president, European Marketing and Brand Commercialization. In 2007, he relocated to the US to assume the role of senior vice president, U.S. Oncology. In 2010, he was named senior vice president, Global Commercialization, Oncology and Immunology, before becoming president of the company’s U.S. organization in 2011. Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Giovanni spent 12 years with Abbott Laboratories in a number of leadership positions. 

Born and educated in Italy, Giovanni received his M.D. from the University of Rome. 

Updated: May 2017

As the company’s Chief Financial Officer and Head of Global Business Operations, Charles Bancroft oversees Global Finance, Business Insights & Analytics, Global Procurement and Information Technology. These integrated functions bring a combination of bold, consultative expertise and operational excellence that drives and sustains business success. They strive to continuously improve performance and efficiency, while delivering strategic guidance that empowers and accelerates critical decisions across the company.

“I have tremendous pride in being part of a company where everyone, in every role, is deeply focused on patients. We are committed to our Mission, which you can see in our investment choices, our culture and our science,” said Charlie.

Charlie joined the company in 1984, coming from KPMG. During the ensuing years, he has held positions of increasing responsibility within the finance organization, including international assignments, and has had commercial operational responsibility for Latin American, Middle East, Africa, Canada, Japan and several Pacific Rim countries. He was first name Chief Financial Officer in 2010.

Charlie received his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Drexel University and his Masters in Business Administration from Temple University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Colgate-Palmolive Company.

Updated: June 2018

Paul Biondi is senior vice president, Head of Strategy and Business Development. He has enterprise-wide responsibility for establishing and evolving the company strategy, and leading the pursuit of strategic transactions that provide access to external innovation, enhance company capabilities and evolve the portfolio over time. Paul also has accountability for maintaining the company’s focus on continuous improvement and prioritization of resources.

Paul was appointed Head of Business Development in 2015, and under his leadership, Bristol-Myers Squibb expanded its range of deal-making efforts to partner valuable science, research and technology together with its pipeline and capabilities to help execute the company strategy, deliver growth and diversify the portfolio.

“Bristol-Myers Squibb has a differentiated strategy to bring transformational medicines to patients in need,” says Paul. “We are committed to ensuring we stay at the forefront of therapeutic innovation through the continuous refinement of our strategic focus, capabilities and execution.”

Prior to being appointed Head of Business Development, Paul worked in Bristol-Myers Squibb’s R&D Operations for 10 years where he held positions of increasing responsibility providing strategic insights and operations excellence to enhance the performance of the R&D organization. As head of R&D Operations, he was responsible for optimizing the delivery of the pipeline, managing the portfolio and delivering early- and late-stage clinical operations. In this role, Paul worked closely with the Business Development leaders in formulating portfolio strategies as well as overseeing integrations of scientific assets or acquired companies.

Paul joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2002 and holds a bachelor’s degree in government and economics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Updated: June 2018

Christopher Boerner is Chief Commercial Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he leads commercial strategy and execution across all geographies. In his previous role, Chris was head of international markets at Bristol-Myers Squibb, accountable for commercial activities in all ex-U.S. markets.  He joined the company in February 2015. 

“I look forward to continuing to help BMS deliver on our mission of bringing transformational medicines to patients,” Chris said. “By focusing on innovation and execution, we can strengthen our ability to bring innovative medicines to patients faster.”

Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chris served as the Executive Vice President of Commercial for Seattle Genetics, Inc., where he led all commercial activities for the company, as well as Senior Vice President of Commercial and Vice President of Marketing.

Before joining Seattle Genetics, Chris worked for Dendreon Corporation, where he led the marketing team. From 2002 to 2010, he worked for Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, where he served in a variety of commercial roles, including Director of Marketing on Avastin. Prior to Genentech, he worked for McKinsey & Company, serving global pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.

Chris received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and holds an A.B. in economics and history from Washington University in St. Louis.

Updated: August 2018

As Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer, Adam leads the company’s efforts to ensure its operations are conducted in compliance with ethical business practices, its Principles of Integrity, as well as laws and regulations in the markets it operates. In addition to reporting to the General Counsel and CEO, Adam also reports to the Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.

“Our focus on ethics and integrity is critical to the success of our company,” says Adam. “Ensuring we maintain an unwavering focus on the highest standards will help ensure we meet the commitments we have made to our patients, employees, communities where we work, and our shareholders.”

Adam most recently served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel supporting the R&D organization. Prior to that Adam provided strategic counsel to the company’s Leadership Team on policy issues and represented the company externally as the Lead of Global and Corporate Policy. 

Adam joined Bristol-Myers Squibb 1999 and has held a diverse set of roles with progressively increasing responsibility within the Law Department. As counsel for the U.S. Pharmaceuticals business, Adam advised the Oncology, Virology and Immunoscience business units on regulatory, compliance, contractual and commercial matters. He also had international roles in Singapore and Paris, France where he led law departments for the company’s Asia Pacific and Japan and the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Adam was a Partner at the law firm of Sedgwick, Detert, Moran and Arnold in New York.

Adam holds a B.A. in Psychology from Brandeis University and a J.D. from Fordham University.

Updated: June 2018

As Head of Global Medical Affairs, Dr. Joseph Eid leads the company’s efforts to communicate the safe and appropriate utilization of its medicines to the medical community and gather insights on medical practices and patient needs from stakeholders. Internally, Joe’s organization also plays a critical role as the bridge between the drug development and commercial organizations.

“I’m passionate about bringing innovative treatments to patients and providing them with access as fast as possible,” says Joe. “Making that happen requires that all of the functions involved in drug discovery, development and commercialization keep the patient at the center of their discussions and plans at all times.”

Before joining BMS in 2017, Joe spent nine years at Merck, most recently as Head of Oncology Global Medical Affairs. Previously, he served in Merck Research Labs as Team Leader for the anti-PD-1 antibody program, where he managed the first-in-human trials and set the strategy leading to registration. Prior to joining Merck, he was Clinical Team Leader and Science Team Leader in Oncology Clinical Research at Hoffmann-La Roche AG.

Joe holds a medical degree from St. Joseph University School of Medicine in Beirut, Lebanon, and is board certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology and Internal Medicine. He completed his fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) and served on the RWJMS faculty as Assistant Professor of Medicine in the departments of Medicine, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. 

Updated: June, 2019

John Elicker is senior vice president, Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations. In this role, John leads Bristol-Myers Squibb’s internal and external communications efforts worldwide, which includes responsibility for Global Policy, Advocacy and Government Affairs as well as the company’s interactions with the investment community.

Under John’s leadership, the company has built one of the best investor relations teams in the industry as named by investors polled by Institutional Investor magazine. In addition, he has aligned the communications organization around the company’s core business objectives and accelerated the development and launch of the company’s social media platforms.

“We have an important story to tell about Bristol-Myers Squibb and our focus on transforming the way diseases are treated, our differentiated approach to business, the scientific expertise of our researchers and the passion our employees bring to helping patients,” says John.

John joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2000 as senior director, Investor Relations. In 2002, he became vice president, Investor Relations, and the company’s primary contact with the institutional investment community. In 2011, John added responsibility for Public Affairs, and in 2017 assumed leadership for Global Policy, Advocacy and Government Affairs.

Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, John held various leadership roles of increasing responsibility at W. W. Grainger, Inc., and at Scott Paper Company.

John received a Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Updated: May 2017

As Chief Medical Officer, Global Drug Development, Dr. Samit Hirawat oversees late-stage product development across all therapeutic areas. In this role, Samit and his organization focus on enabling the rapid progression and delivery of late-stage assets, from proof-of-concept to commercialization, through world-class clinical trial design and operations.

Samit joined BMS in 2019 with extensive drug development experience, most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Head of Oncology Development for Novartis. Previously, he led clinical development programs in multiple indications at PTC Therapeutics and Pfizer/Pharmacia Corporation.

Samit earned his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at Sawai Man Singh Medical College in India, and completed his internal medicine residency and medical oncology training at North Shore University Hospital, New York.

Updated: July 2019

As Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer, Severine Lacourt supports the office of the CEO and plays a strategic role driving enterprise initiatives.

Severine has more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience in the fields of marketing, sales, strategy, business unit management and strategic project management, spanning U.S. and international assignments.

She joined the company in 2010, most recently serving as Worldwide Biomarkers Commercialization Lead, and prior to this Worldwide Commercial Lead for Hematology. Before joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Severine held positions with Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, GSK and Boston Consulting Group.

Severine earned her MBA from INSEAD and a degree in business and entrepreneurship from HEC School of Management in Paris.  

Updated: July 2019

Sandy Leung serves as legal advisor to the Board of Directors and company executives, and is responsible for shaping the company’s legal strategy. Sandy is also responsible for Environment, Health & Safety & Sustainability, Corporate Security and Philanthropy.

“The accelerating pace of science, governmental policies and regulations and overall global complexity across our industry requires us to be even more agile than ever,” says Sandy. “Our legal team brings strategic value across all aspects of our business through practical and sound counsel that guide our company in its mission to help patients.”

Sandy joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in 1992 as a staff attorney in the litigation department. In 1996, she became assistant counsel and one year later, was named associate counsel. In 1999, Sandy was appointed to the position of counsel and corporate secretary. In 2006, she was appointed acting general counsel and in 2007, she was named general counsel. In 2014, Sandy was named executive vice president.

Prior to joining the company, Sandy was a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

“My advice to those aspiring to management positions is to be good at what you do. You have to be willing to do the hard work and bring good excellent judgment and expertise to the table. Most important, you must have great personal integrity and be someone people can trust. If people trust you, they will feel comfortable seeking your advice. Also, be respectful of people, not just your superiors but everyone.”

Sandy earned her law degree from Boston College of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University.

Updated: May 2017

Ann M. Powell is the Global Head of Human Resources with direct responsibility for driving the corporation’s global capabilities in talent management, culture and organizational effectiveness tied directly to business performance.

Ann works across the enterprise to support Bristol-Myers Squibb's commitment to creating an energizing work experience and a culture that is powerfully diverse and broadly inclusive, where individuals are encouraged to exceed their potential and inspired to make innovative contributions for our patients and the global communities in which they live and work.

“The courage and passion of our workforce is truly inspiring and drives an even higher level of engagement in making a difference in the lives of patients” says Ann.

Ann’s industry experience and expertise lie in executive compensation, leadership development, change management, diversity/inclusion, training design and delivery, talent acquisition, labor relations, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and start-ups.

With a career spanning both international and domestic assignments, Ann has held leadership roles of increasing responsibility within both the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, including Dow Chemical and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2013, Ann was the Chief Human Resources Officer for Shire Pharmaceuticals.

Ann earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota.

Updated: May 2019

As senior vice president and president of Global Product Development and Supply (GPS), Lou oversees worldwide product development and manufacturing for Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS).  GPS develops and produces active ingredients and drug products, and delivers the company’s medicines throughout the world. The GPS team achieves this mission through a relentless focus on innovation, quality, safety and agility.  

"In GPS we turn molecules into life-changing medicines," said Lou. "Everyone in the organization is dedicated to deliver them in the right way, at the right time, every time for the patients we serve."

Lou joined BMS in 2011 as president of Technical Operations. Prior to joining BMS, he led Pfizer’s worldwide biotech manufacturing operations as senior vice president of the Specialty-Biotechnology Operating Unit.  Previously he was responsible for global pharmaceutical manufacturing for Wyeth and Vice President of quality for Hoffman-LaRoche. Earlier in his career he also held leadership roles at Marion Merrell Dow, Mallinckrodt and Novartis-Sandoz. 

Lou is an active member and has held leadership positions in several industry organizations including the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) and National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Temple University and a master’s in management from Webster University. 

Updated: September 2017

Paul von Autenried heads Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Information Technology organization, positioning the company for success in the rapidly evolving digital age.  He is focused on ensuring the company’s information assets and operations are reliable, accessible and secure, driving the digitization of the company, adopting new approaches to digital health, and continuing an innovative approach to long-term partnerships with key IT service delivery companies.

“It’s an exciting time to lead an IT team as advances in technology are providing new opportunities to streamline our lives in unprecedented ways, including managing our health,” Paul said. “Delivering digital capabilities that accelerate the company's work of bringing innovative medicines to patients is both a challenge and an honor.”

Throughout his experiences in domestic and international high-tech, consumer packaged goods, and biopharmaceuticals companies, Paul's career has been focused on strategically leveraging information technology to drive superior performance. Before joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Paul held positions with Kraft General Foods, Hewlett-Packard and IBM. He is a member of the Research Board, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Princeton Healthcare System.

Paul has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in computer science from Stevens Institute of Technology, and has completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School and the Program for Leadership Development at IMD in Switzerland. 

Updated: May 2017