Takeda Appoints Rhonda Pacheco President of the U.S. Business Unit

− Rhonda Pacheco to Succeed Julie Kim, Who Was Appointed to Be Takeda’s Next CEO

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) today announced that Rhonda Pacheco, most recently group vice president of U.S. Cardiometabolic Health at Eli Lilly, will join Takeda, effective September 29, as president of Takeda’s U.S. Business Unit and will be a member of the Takeda Executive Team. Pacheco will succeed Julie Kim, who was appointed by the Takeda Board of Directors to succeed Christophe Weber as president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Takeda in June 2026. With Pacheco’s appointment, Kim will focus on preparing for the CEO transition, which includes serving as interim head of the Global Portfolio Division.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rhonda to Takeda,” said Julie Kim and Christophe Weber. “Rhonda embodies our values, and she brings a compelling blend of strategic acumen, operational excellence and people-first leadership that aligns seamlessly with the evolving needs of our U.S. Business Unit and Takeda’s broader enterprise vision.” 

Pacheco comes to Takeda from Eli Lilly where she oversaw complex portfolios in a range of leadership roles, including successful product launches, most recently its GLP-1 portfolio, and delivered strong commercial performance.

“For me, joining Takeda to lead the U.S. Business Unit is where purpose and possibility come together — a chance to reshape how we deliver breakthrough science to patients,” said Pacheco. “I’m energized to be working with such a talented team to accelerate innovation, deepen trust, and set a new standard for what patients, partners and communities can expect from Takeda.”

Pacheco, a Massachusetts native, holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a doctorate of pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island, where she was captain of the women’s basketball team.

About Takeda

Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit www.takeda.com.

Important Notice

For the purposes of this notice, “press release” means this document, any oral presentation, any question and answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) regarding this release. This press release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this press release. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. This press release is being given (together with any further information which may be provided to the recipient) on the condition that it is for use by the recipient for information purposes only (and not for the evaluation of any investment, acquisition, disposal or any other transaction). Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws.

The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release, “Takeda” is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takeda’s future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as “targets”, “plans”, “believes”, “hopes”, “continues”, “expects”, “aims”, “intends”, “ensures”, “will”, “may”, “should”, “would”, “could”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “projects” or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda’s global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; challenges inherent in new product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products; manufacturing difficulties or delays; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, on Takeda and its customers and suppliers, including foreign governments in countries in which Takeda operates, or on other facets of its business; the timing and impact of post-merger integration efforts with acquired companies; the ability to divest assets that are not core to Takeda’s operations and the timing of any such divestment(s); and other factors identified in Takeda’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takeda’s other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takeda’s website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/sec-filings-and-security-reports/ or at www.sec.gov. Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takeda’s future results.

Contacts

Media Contacts:

Takeda Media Relations [email protected]