Glaxo names Emma Walmsley as new CEO to succeed Andrew Witty

GlaxoSmithKline Plc promoted Emma Walmsley to be its new chief executive officer and succeed Andrew Witty when he retires, singling out the UK's largest drugmaker as the only major global pharmaceutical company led by a woman.

Walmsley currently leads Glaxo's consumer health business. She will join the board on Jan 1 and take the helm of the London-based company on March 31, Glaxo said in a statement on Tuesday.

The 47-year-old Oxford graduate, whose background is in marketing rather than science, will be tasked with piloting cutting-edge treatments for cancer and infectious diseases through clinical tests and onto pharmacy shelves to boost earnings and revive Glaxo's shares. Chairman Phil Hampton had said he was seeking outside as well as inside for a new leader.