Daiichi Sankyo names Hiroyuki Okuzawa as CEO

Tokyo: Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd has appointed Hiroyuki Okuzawa, 62, to succeed Sunao Manabe, DVM, Ph.D. as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective April 1, 2025.

Dr. Manabe will transition from his current role of Representative Director, Executive Chairperson and CEO to Representative Director and Executive Chairperson while Mr. Okuzawa will transition to Representative Director, President and CEO.

Under Dr. Manabe’s leadership, Daiichi Sankyo’s pioneering science and technology led to the resurgence of antibody drug conjugate (ADC) development within the pharmaceutical industry, leading to three of the largest licensing deals in history along with the approvals of ENHERTU and DATROWAY, two precision cancer medicines invented with Daiichi Sankyo’s DXd ADC Technology.

Daiichi Sankyo’s five-year business plan (FY2021-2025) is progressing successfully with the rapid and global expansion of its oncology business. In order to ensure the solid achievement of FY2025 goals and to strengthen its management structure, Daiichi Sankyo’s Board of Directors appointed Mr. Okuzawa as the new CEO at the board meeting on January 31, 2025, based on the Nomination Committee’s report.

This transition in April 2025 will occur as Daiichi Sankyo enters the final year of its current five-year business plan and it starts full scale preparation for the next five-year business plan (FY2026-2030).

Mr. Okuzawa joined Daiichi Sankyo in 1986 and has served as Representative Director, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) since 2023. He also held the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for two years and other senior leadership roles in international business, corporate strategy and human resources during his tenure at Daiichi Sankyo. Mr. Okuzawa graduated from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo with a degree in Social Sciences. Mr. Okuzawa has 50,741 shares of the company as of September 30, 2024.

“Hiroyuki Okuzawa has played a pivotal role in advancing our current five-year business plan, driving unprecedented global growth for our company,” said Sunao Manabe. “Beyond his extensive experience as an 2 international business leader and impressive accomplishments while serving as both COO and CFO at Daiichi Sankyo, Hiroyuki has been a key figure in transforming our corporate culture by exemplifying our core behaviors of inclusivity and diversity, collaboration and trust, and continuous development and growth. As the new CEO, I am confident that Hiroyuki will continue to provide strong leadership, propelling Daiichi Sankyo to the forefront of the global pharmaceutical industry by enhancing patient care worldwide through creating new medicines with our expertise in science and technology.”

“I am deeply honored to be the next CEO of Daiichi Sankyo and will follow Sunao Manabe’s exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to patients and their families,” said Hiroyuki Okuzawa. “Building on this foundation, I will continue to leverage Daiichi Sankyo’s strengths in science and technology, and will continuously develop our talent globally. Under my leadership, we will create a 2035 vision and a next fiveyear business plan (FY2026-2030), continuing to enrich the quality of life worldwide.”