Emma Walmsley

Early in 2023, British pharma giant GSK launched the world’s first RSV adult vaccine, Arexvy, for those aged 60 years and older. Walmsley, the only woman CEO of a major pharma company, told Fortune at the time that GSK was working on building its vaccine portfolio. That’s not the only avenue where GSK is growing. It recently completed the acquisitions of Sierra Oncology (for $1.9 billion) as well as BELLUS Health (for around $2 billion). Through these deals, Walmsley’s company aims to address the medical needs of myelofibrosis, a bone marrow cancer that can cause severe anemia, as well as respiratory conditions. Walmsley says her priority is to “get ahead of diseases and serve patients,” and she strongly believes that diversity and working collectively allow teams to perform better.