Japanese pharma major, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced that its Board of Directors decided to promote Christophe Weber, Representative Director, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), to Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective April 1, 2015.
Yasuchika Hasegawa, Representative Director, Chairman of the Board & CEO, will assume the position of Representative Director, Chairman of the Board.

The appointment is the result of a transparent and objective decision-making process endorsed by the Nomination Committee, which has been established as an advisory body to the Board of Directors and whose chairperson is an Outside Director.

It has been also decided that the position of COO will no longer exist effective April 1, 2015.

Christophe Weber, the Representative Director, President and COO, said, "First, I would like to thank Yasuchika Hasegawa and the Board of Directors for their trust. I am honored and thrilled with the role of CEO and determined to fulfill my duties. I will devote all my energy to leading the new Takeda organization from April 1, 2015, and continue to make contributions to patients and healthcare professionals, to engage and motivate our employees, while responding to the expectations of investors and shareholders."

Yasuchika Hasegawa, the Representative Director, Chairman of the Board & CEO, said, "Since he became COO of the Company last April, I have been supporting Christophe and at the same time carefully observing his performance as a CEO successor. I have concluded that he is ready to assume Takeda's CEO role, and therefore I have decided to appoint him CEO when the new organizational structure takes effect on April 1, 2015. Under "Takeda-ism (Integrity: Fairness, Honesty, and Perseverance)," I am confident that Christophe will blaze a new trail in our efforts to help people realize better health and a brighter future."