Microsoft, Emma Walmsley
The CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, Emma Walmsley, was nominated as a member of the board of directors for tech giant Microsoft, a role which needs to be confirmed by a shareholder’s vote at a meeting on December 4.
John Thompson, Microsoft’s independent board chair, said in a statement that Walmsley “led major advances in R&D at GSK and will bring her significant insights and global experience to Microsoft.”
Walmsley’s experience in the pharma industry is expected to assist Microsoft’s life sciences business, which has grown significantly over the past years, with the technology company working on the development of digital healthcare solutions, as well as building relations with big pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, Merck, and Allergan.
If elected, Walmsley will be the fifth female member of Microsoft’s board. The 50-year-old executive joined GSK in 2010 as president of Consumer Healthcare for Europe and became the company’s CEO in 2017, taking on the role from Andrew Witty, who ran the company from 2008. Prior to GSK, Walmsley worked for 17 years in L’Oreal, where she held general management and marketing roles.