GSK CEO Emma Walmsley to step down

Leadership Change - GSK's CEO Emma Walmsley will step down at the end of the year, to be succeeded by commercial chief Luke Miels [1][2] - Miels, who joined GSK from AstraZeneca in 2017, has been instrumental in developing the company's specialty medicines portfolio, particularly in oncology and respiratory areas [3] Strategic Focus - The leadership transition occurs as GSK aims to launch more drugs from its late-stage pipeline to counter the impending loss of patent protection for its leading HIV drug, dolutegravir [2][6] - Walmsley emphasized that 2026 is a crucial year for GSK to establish its direction for the next decade, marking the timing for new leadership as appropriate [2] Company Performance - Under Walmsley's leadership, GSK increased research spending and made significant investments in cancer drugs, including several acquisitions [4] - GSK's stock declined approximately 11% during Walmsley's tenure, although it saw a slight increase of about 1% in recent trading [5] Financial Targets - GSK aims to achieve sales exceeding £40 billion (approximately $53.6 billion) by 2031, up from £31.4 billion last year, although some analysts express skepticism about reaching this target [5]