Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company announced significant changes to its executive leadership team on May 8, 2025, designed to strengthen the company's focus on its rapidly growing U.S. business and expand its global therapeutic reach.
The leadership reorganization comes after several years of substantial growth, particularly in Lilly's U.S. operations and cardiometabolic health portfolio. The company is strategically positioning itself to capitalize on anticipated continued expansion in these areas while advancing its product pipeline.
Strategic Leadership Transitions
In a carefully orchestrated executive shuffle, Ilya Yuffa, currently executive vice president and president of Lilly International, will assume the role of executive vice president and president of Lilly USA and Global Customer Capabilities. In this expanded position, Yuffa will oversee all aspects of the U.S. business, including sales, marketing, and commercial capabilities across Lilly's entire product portfolio. Critically, he will also spearhead the commercialization of upcoming product launches in the American market.
Meanwhile, Patrik Jonsson, who currently serves as executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and president of Lilly USA, will transition to executive vice president and president of Lilly International. In this capacity, Jonsson will lead all markets outside the United States. The company cited Jonsson's successful leadership of Lilly's cardiometabolic and U.S. businesses, which has driven significant growth and strengthened market leadership, as key qualifications for accelerating the company's international expansion.
Completing the leadership transformation, Kenneth Custer, Ph.D., currently general manager of Lilly Canada, will be promoted to executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health and will join Lilly's executive committee. Custer brings 16 years of experience at Lilly, having started in sales and marketing before moving to Lilly Research Laboratories (LRL). During his tenure at LRL, Custer led the early development of key immunology and diabetes programs, including the company's groundbreaking tirzepatide program. His career at Lilly has included increasingly responsible roles, including senior vice president of Portfolio Strategy and head of Business Development.
Building on Recent Success
David A. Ricks, Lilly's chair and CEO, emphasized the strategic importance of these changes: "Thanks to Patrik's leadership, Lilly's cardiometabolic health and U.S. businesses have achieved tremendous growth over the past few years. With these changes, we will create the additional focus we need to reach the next level."
Ricks expressed confidence that the newly positioned leadership team would continue to advance the company's long-term strategy of discovering, developing, and delivering medicines that improve global health outcomes.
Cardiometabolic Focus
The leadership restructuring particularly highlights Lilly's continued emphasis on its cardiometabolic portfolio, which has been a significant driver of the company's recent success. The appointment of Kenneth Custer to lead this division underscores the strategic importance of this therapeutic area to Lilly's future growth plans.
Custer's background in the development of tirzepatide is especially noteworthy, as this medication has become a cornerstone of Lilly's diabetes and obesity treatment offerings. His promotion signals Lilly's intention to further capitalize on opportunities in the cardiometabolic space.
Global Expansion Strategy
The appointment of Patrik Jonsson to lead Lilly International reflects the company's ambitions to replicate its U.S. success in markets worldwide. Jonsson's experience in driving growth in the cardiometabolic sector and his expertise in global product launches position him to accelerate Lilly's international expansion efforts.
These leadership changes come at a time when Lilly continues to advance its work across multiple therapeutic areas, including diabetes care, obesity treatment, Alzheimer's disease, immune system disorders, and oncology. The company's strategic realignment aims to ensure that its medicines reach more patients globally while maintaining the innovation pipeline that has fueled its recent growth.
The transitions are expected to strengthen Lilly's position as it continues to navigate the complex global pharmaceutical landscape and pursue its mission of turning scientific discoveries into healing therapies for patients worldwide.
