Dame Emma Walmsley, CEO of GSK arrives for a business roundtable attended by President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Dame Emma Walmsley, CEO of GSK arrives for a business roundtable attended by President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
LONDON (AP) — GSK Chief Executive Emma Walmsley, the first woman to lead a major pharmaceutical company, will step down Dec. 31 after more than eight years at the head of the London-based drugmaker.
Walmsley, 56, will be replaced by Luke Miels, currently GSK’s chief commercial officer, the company said in a statement released on Monday.
While GSK achieved a number of strategic successes under Walmsley, including the spinoff of the consumer health care business Haleon, it has disappointed investors. GSK’s shares rose 3.3% to 1534.50 pence in early trading, making it the biggest gainer on the London Stock Exchange.
GSK’s shares fell 11% between April 1, 2017, when Walmsley became CEO, and last Friday.
“Despite the progress, the share price performance has been lackluster,†Derren Nathan, head of equity research at U.K.-based Hargreaves Lansdown,†said in a note to investors.
“Although her record of delivering on financial guidance has been strong, the company’s growth rates remain stuck in single-digit territory.â€
