Pfizer announced Thursday morning that it is shaking up its research and development (R&D) leadership team with a series of personnel moves.

The pharma giant announced that Chris Boshoff, MD, PhD, has joined Pfizer’s executive leadership team as Chief Oncology Research and Development Officer and EVP, reporting to CEO Albert Bourla.

Boshoff previously oversaw clinical research and product development activities for Pfizer’s oncology portfolio. Before joining the biopharma industry, he served as director of the University College London Cancer Institute.

Now, Boshoff will be the “single point of accountability” for the entire oncology pipeline following years of leading the clinical research and product development activities for that segment as well as the rare diseases portfolio. 

“We are delighted to welcome Chris Boshoff to our executive leadership team as he works to accelerate the delivery of the next generation of cancer breakthroughs to patients around the world,” Bourla said in a statement. “About 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime in the United States, which means just about every family will be impacted by this dreaded disease. Chris is an exceptional physician-scientist with the vision and expertise to unleash the scale and strength of Pfizer’s ambition in cancer research.”

As part of the leadership shuffle, Mikael Dolsten, MD, PhD, who currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer and president, Pfizer worldwide research, development and medical, will now also lead “all discovery, early- and late-stage clinical development, for all non-oncology therapeutic areas” in his updated position as Chief Scientific Officer, President, Pfizer Research & Development.

Dolsten will also lead an end-to-end model across all of Pfizer’s other therapeutic areas.

Additionally, Pfizer said chief development officer and EVP William Pao will depart the company at the end of the month to pursue other career opportunities.

Pfizer announced these personnel moves months after it proposed a $43 billion acquisition of Seagen, which the company stated in a press release is still slated to close in late 2023 or early 2024.

The company stated Boshoff will lead the integration planning for Seagen’s medicines and team once the transaction closes.

Boshoff’s appointment comes days before Pfizer is slated to publish its Q2 2023 earnings report.