CSL has named Deborah Waterhouse, a British pharmaceutical executive who previously led GSK in Australia, as its next chief executive and managing director.
Ms Waterhouse, chief executive of HIV specialist ViiV Healthcare since 2017, will take over at CSL in February 2027.
CSL chair Dr Brian McNamee said the board had set clear criteria for the job. "In February this year we said CSL's next chief executive would need the ability to continue the momentum of our commercial performance, renew our pipeline and simplify our operations without losing the science and purpose that built this great company. Deborah has done all those things on multiple occasions. Deborah is an outstanding global leader with a proven ability to grow complex businesses."
"She has grown a focused biopharmaceutical business and renewed the franchise at ViiV by driving the development and commercialisation of the next generation of medicines to support patients. She knows the United States, she knows Australia and she knows how to build pipelines and manage partnerships. A world-class and purpose-driven executive, she is the right person to lead CSL in its next chapter of growth. The Board's decision to appoint Deborah was unanimous."
Ms Waterhouse said her years in Melbourne had shaped how she sees the company. "CSL is one of the great companies in our industry, and I saw what it means to Australia when I lived and worked in Melbourne. Its people save lives every day, from the staff who collect plasma at the donation centres to the scientists and operators who develop and manufacture the medicines and vaccines. The foundations are strong. My job is to continue the momentum and evolve the path into reliable growth for patients and shareholders."
She joined GSK in 1996 and has spent 30 years there. She led its US vaccines and US primary care businesses before taking over ViiV, which GSK majority-owns, with Shionogi as a shareholder. She is also president of GSK Global Health.
She will stay based in the UK and spend significant time in Australia, the US and CSL's other major markets. Interim chief executive Gordon Naylor will remain in the role until she starts, oversee the handover, and then return to the board as a non-executive director.
