Susanne Schaffert

Schaffert is in her second year leading Novartis’s $14.4 billion oncology division. With more than 10,000 employees in 85 countries and a portfolio of 25 drugs, the business has thrived under Schaffert’s leadership, with revenue growing 10% last year. Despite the spread of COVID-19 and disruption to medical care around the world, sales were up 6% in the first half of 2020; that may be in part to Schaffert’s efforts to serve, educate, and advocate for cancer patients during the pandemic. The company introduced home delivery and monitoring to ensure patients got their meds, and in April, Schaffert launched a video series to help them navigate their condition during the pandemic. In the past 12 months, the business has won four new regulatory approvals for its cancer portfolio; it’s also studying whether its existing drugs could help in the fight against COVID.

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