- Emma Walmsley, the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, has been nominated for Microsoft’s board of directors — which will be voted on at the annual shareholder meeting on December 4.
Microsoft recently announced that GlaxoSmithKline CEO Emma Walmsley has been nominated to its board of directors. The election of Walmsley will be presented to Microsoft’s shareholders at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on December 4, 2019.
“Emma is an accomplished business leader who led major advances in research and development at GSK and will bring her significant insights and global experience to Microsoft,” said Microsoft independent board chair John W. Thompson in a statement. “We believe she will be a valuable addition to the board.”
Plus Microsoft also announced that Charles H. Noski (former vice chairman of AT&T and Bank of America) and Dr. Helmut Panke (former chairman of the board of management at BMW AG) have decided that they will both not seek re-election to the Microsoft board after 16 years of service. Their term expires at the annual shareholders meeting.
“Chuck and Helmut have been critical and insightful directors during multiple key moments for Microsoft for more than a decade and a half, and we are grateful for their many contributions,” added Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Chuck has been the chair of the Audit Committee and Helmut has been the chair of the Regulatory and Public Policy Committee.
“I very much appreciate the important role that Chuck and Helmut have both played as directors and advisors to me as we’ve pursued Microsoft’s transformation,” commented Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Walmsley was appointed as the CEO Of GSK in April 2017 and was a member of GSK’s corporate executive team since 2011. And she was the CEO of GSK Consumer Healthcare — a joint venture between GSK and Novartis — from its creation in March 2014 to 2017.
And Walmsley had joined GSK in 2010 to oversee the Consumer Healthcare Europe division. Prior to joining GSK, Walmsley worked for L’Oreal in a variety of marketing and general management roles in Paris, London, Shanghai, and New York.
If Walmsley and the company’s nominees are elected, then the board will include 13 board members including Thompson, Gates, Nadella, Reid Hoffman, Hugh Johnston, Teri L. List-Stoll, Nadella, Sandra E. Peterson, Penny Pritzker, Charles W. Scarf, Arne Sorenson, John W. Stanton, and Padmasree Warrior.
