Novartis names Mukul Mehta as CFO

Novartis appointed Mukul Mehta as the chief financial officer (CFO) and a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis (ECN), effective March 16, 2026. Mehta succeeds Harry Kirsch, who has served as CFO since 2013, and will retire from Novartis after a 22-year career with the company. Kirsch will continue in his role as CFO and member of the ECN until March 15, 2026.

Mehta brings over 20 years of experience at Novartis, having held key finance leadership roles across geographies and business units.

He was recently appointed to the role of head of BPA, Digital Finance and Tax, which he will continue until March of next year. His career includes serving as CFO International for three years, ad-interim President International, CFO Pharmaceuticals business unit, CFO Novartis Business Services, CFO Pharmaceuticals Europe business, and country CFO of France, Poland, and Norway.

“I am honored to take on the role of CFO at Novartis,” said Mehta. “I’ve had the privilege of growing with this company and working alongside exceptional colleagues. I look forward to continuing our journey as a focused medicines company and delivering sustainable value for patients and shareholders.”

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve Novartis for the past 22 years. I am proud of the transformation we’ve led - from streamlining the company from six divisions to three, to the successful spinoffs of Alcon and Sandoz, and the divestitures of our stakes in the consumer healthcare joint venture with GSK and in Roche. Together, we’ve built a truly focused medicines company. I leave with deep gratitude for the teams I’ve worked with and have full confidence in Mukul’s leadership,” said Kirsch.

Vas Narasimhan, CEO, Novartis said, “Harry’s impact on Novartis has been profound. He played a pivotal role in driving what has so far been one of our strongest periods of growth and strategic transformation. Under Harry’s leadership, the company’s financial performance has significantly improved as evidenced by our strong balance sheet, improved core operating income margin, and robust free cash flow. I thank him for his unwavering commitment and wish him the very best in his next chapter. I am also looking forward to welcoming Mukul to the ECN. His deep knowledge of our business, strong financial expertise, and collaborative style position him well to guide our financial strategy and finance organization through our next phase of growth.”

Mehta holds a degree in Management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in India and an MBA from INSEAD France.

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