More so on Novo Nordisk's
$NVO AGM, I want to dive into the newly elected directors:
Jan van de Winkel — Co-founder and CEO of Genmab, Europe's largest biotech. Built it from a 20-person startup to 8 approved antibody therapies including DARZALEX. 30 years in therapeutic antibodies, 300 scientific publications, 150 patents. This is one of the most successful biotech founders in European history, joining the board.
Ramona Sequeira — 30 years in global pharma. Led Takeda's US business through a 3x revenue expansion and was the first woman to chair PhRMA's board. Before that, 20 years at Eli Lilly launching brands across the US and Europe. She knows exactly how to compete in the market Novo is losing ground in.
Helena Saxon — Former CFO of Investor AB (the Wallenberg family's holding company), Goldman Sachs alumna, and 14 years on the board of rare disease specialist Sobi. Deep capital markets and healthcare investing expertise.
The message is clear: the Foundation, which controls the company, saw a business drifting and intervened with force. The new board has biotech R&D depth, global commercial execution experience, and financial discipline, exactly what Novo needs to fight back against Lilly.
At 10x earnings, you're getting a turnaround with A-list governance for free.