Christine Poon, worldwide chairman, medicines and nutritionals, and member of the executive committee of Johnson & Johnson was appointed as vice chairman of the company.
With this appointment, Poon becomes a member of the office of the chairman, joining chairman and chief executive, William Weldon and vice chairman and chief financial officer, Robert Darretta.
In addition, the nominating & corporate governance committee of the board of directors has nominated Poon for election to the board at the annual meeting of shareholders in April.
Poon will continue to have management responsibility for all pharmaceutical, consumer pharmaceutical, and nutritional businesses and report directly to Weldon.
“Since her arrival, our pharmaceutical business has become one of the fastest growing in the industry,” Weldon said. “Simultaneously, Chris has championed our pharmaceutical R&D organization as it develops and supports a robust pipeline of new medicines. She has exhibited strong leadership and personal involvement in building a skilled and diverse workforce. I look forward to her deeper contributions in strategic planning and talent development.”
Poon’s achievements in pharmaceuticals earned her the honor of being named the 2004 Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) Woman of the Year.
She is a member of the advisory board of the HBA and is on the board of directors of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pa.