Daiichi Sankyo’s board of directors followed the nomination committee’s report in making the appointment. Credit: ArDanMe/Shutterstock.

Daiichi Sankyo has announced that Hiroyuki Okuzawa will succeed Sunao Manabe as its CEO from 1 April 2025.

The company’s board of directors followed the nomination committee’s report, appointing Okuzawa to ensure the achievement of the year’s goals and strengthen its management structure.

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The strategic move comes as the company gears up for the final year of its current five-year business plan in 2025, and prepares for the subsequent plan for the financial years 2026 (FY26) to FY30.

Hiroyuki has served as president, representative director and chief operating officer (COO) since 2023, and as chief financial officer for two years. He has been with the company since 1986.

He has been instrumental in human resources, international business and corporate strategy.

As of September 2024, he holds 50,741 shares in Daiichi Sankyo.

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Okuzawa said: “I am deeply honoured to be the next CEO of Daiichi Sankyo and will follow Sunao Manabe’s exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to patients and their families.

“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 five-year business plan (FY26 to FY30), continuing to enrich the quality of life worldwide.”

The outgoing CEO, Dr Manabe, has been credited with pioneering advances in the development of antibody-drug conjugates, leading to licensing deals and the approvals of two precision cancer medicines, Datroway and Enhertu, that have impacted the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Manabe will transition from his current role of executive chairperson, representative director and CEO to representative director and executive chairperson.

Before this development, Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca’s ADC Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for an expanded indication for breast cancer patients with very low levels of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 protein.