Lilly adds two executive committee members and widens roles for two top leaders

Eli Lilly named two new members to its Executive Committee and expanded the roles of two sitting leaders on Nov. 6, 2025, a change the company said is meant to speed up one of the industry's most ambitious pipelines, create new portfolio opportunities and strengthen patient access to its medicines ^[1].

Carole Ho, M.D., will join Lilly as executive vice president and president of Lilly Neuroscience and will serve on the Executive Committee ^[1]. Ho has more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience leading therapeutic development in neurology, rare diseases, immunology and other areas, according to the company. She was most recently chief medical officer and head of development at Denali Therapeutics, where she built and led the company's translational medicine and clinical development strategy ^[1].

Adrienne Brown, currently group vice president of corporate business development at Lilly, was promoted to executive vice president and president of Lilly Immunology and joins the committee ^[1]. Brown has spent more than 20 years at Lilly in roles spanning U.S. and Japan operations, business development, sales, marketing and commercial strategy, including leading the U.S. launch of Mounjaro ^[1].

Daniel Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., takes a broader title: chief scientific and product officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories ^[1]. He now oversees research and development as well as global launches and product strategy for Cardiometabolic Health, Immunology and Neuroscience. He continues to report directly to Lilly chair and CEO David A. Ricks and remains on the Executive Committee ^[1]. Ho, Brown and Kenneth Custer, Ph.D., executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, will report to Skovronsky ^[1].

Jacob Van Naarden, executive vice president and president of Lilly Oncology, also expands his role, with the corporate business development function moving under his leadership. He continues to report to Ricks and stays on the Executive Committee ^[1].

"In recent years, Lilly has transformed our research engine, sped development, and launched breakthrough medicines while dramatically expanding production capacity and improving access to care and affordability," Ricks said in the announcement. "Looking ahead, we see an even greater opportunity to help people live better lives and grow our company and its impact" ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Lilly sells tirzepatide as Mounjaro, the type 2 diabetes brand Brown helped launch in the U.S., and also under the brand name Zepbound ^[1]. The Cardiology and metabolic business that houses those products stays under Kenneth Custer, who now reports to Skovronsky, whose expanded portfolio covers research, development and global launches ^[1].

Announcements about executive roles do not by themselves change a drug's approved label, what insurers cover, or what a pharmacy stocks, and the announcement does not tie the reorganization to any specific product, price or coverage change ^[1]. It also does not say whether Lilly's patient assistance or affordability programs will be affected ^[1].

The company frames the moves as preparation for what it calls a next wave of growth, aimed at accelerating its pipeline and strengthening access ^[1]. The release carries a cautionary note that Lilly cannot assure it will achieve its objectives or execute its strategy as planned ^[1].

What happens next

The announcement did not disclose when Ho starts at Lilly or when the expanded roles take effect, and no dates for pipeline or launch milestones were included ^[1]. The company said the new structure is intended to support its expansion plans in neuroscience and immunology ^[1].

Lilly files quarterly and annual reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that discuss risks to its business; the release points readers to its Form 10-K and Form 10-Q for details on those risks ^[1].