AbbVie has announced that its board of directors unanimously elected CEO Robert A. Michael to also serve as chairman, effective July 1, 2025. He will take over from Richard A. Gonzalez, who has been the chairman since AbbVie's inception in 2013 and will retire from the board on the same date.
Roxanne S. Austin, lead independent director, expressed gratitude towards Gonzalez: "I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Rick for his remarkable leadership and dedicated service." She added that the board has complete confidence in Michael's leadership: "Rob is a visionary leader who operates with integrity and a steadfast commitment to AbbVie, its people, patients and shareholders."
Michael expressed his honor at taking on the new role: "On behalf of our employees around the world, I extend my sincere gratitude to Rick for his exceptional leadership over the past 12 years." He emphasized his intention to continue building on AbbVie's success.
Gonzalez shared his appreciation for the board's support during his tenure: "Serving alongside the talented people of AbbVie has been the greatest privilege of my career." He voiced confidence in Michael's ability to lead AbbVie forward.
In addition to these changes, Glenn F. Tilton will retire from AbbVie's board effective July 1, 2025. Tilton served as lead independent director until July 2024 when he was succeeded by Austin.
Robert A. Michael joined Abbott through its financial development program and held various leadership roles before becoming CEO of AbbVie. His previous positions include president and chief operating officer where he oversaw global commercial operations among other responsibilities.
AbbVie aims to discover innovative medicines addressing serious health issues across several therapeutic areas including immunology and oncology. The company cautions that forward-looking statements are subject to risks which may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected.