− Rhonda Pacheco to Succeed Julie Kim, Who Was Appointed to Be Takeda’s Next CEO

Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE: TAK) today announced that Rhonda Pacheco, most recently group vice president of U.S. Cardiometabolic Health at Eli Lilly, will join Takeda, effective September 29, as president of Takeda’s U.S. Business Unit and will be a member of the Takeda Executive Team. Pacheco will succeed Julie Kim, who was appointed by the Takeda Board of Directors to succeed Christophe Weber as president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Takeda in June 2026. With Pacheco’s appointment, Kim will focus on preparing for the CEO transition, which includes serving as interim head of the Global Portfolio Division.

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Rhonda Pacheco to become president of Takeda's U.S. Business Unit

“We are thrilled to welcome Rhonda to Takeda,” said Julie Kim and Christophe Weber. “Rhonda embodies our values, and she brings a compelling blend of strategic acumen, operational excellence and people-first leadership that aligns seamlessly with the evolving needs of our U.S. Business Unit and Takeda’s broader enterprise vision.” 

Pacheco comes to Takeda from Eli Lilly where she oversaw complex portfolios in a range of leadership roles, including successful product launches, most recently its GLP-1 portfolio, and delivered strong commercial performance.

“For me, joining Takeda to lead the U.S. Business Unit is where purpose and possibility come together — a chance to reshape how we deliver breakthrough science to patients,” said Pacheco. “I’m energized to be working with such a talented team to accelerate innovation, deepen trust, and set a new standard for what patients, partners and communities can expect from Takeda.”

Pacheco, a Massachusetts native, holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a doctorate of pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island, where she was captain of the women’s basketball team.

About Takeda

Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit www.takeda.com.

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