Novartis Appoints Rob Kowalski as Chief People &

Basel, June 28, 2021 – Novartis today announced the appointment of Rob Kowalski, Pharm.D., Global Head Regulatory Affairs and US Head of Drug Development as Chief People & Organization Officer. He will report to Vas Narasimhan, MD, CEO of Novartis and become a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis (ECN), effective September 1, 2021.

Steven Baert, currently Chief People & Organization Officer, will leave the Novartis Executive Committee, effective June 30, 2021, after 15 years in the company and almost 8 years in this position. Vicki Rawlinson, US Head People & Organization, will lead the function on an interim basis until Dr Kowalski takes over.

Dr Kowalski is a senior drug development and regulatory executive with over 25 years of industry experience. He has built and successfully led Global Regulatory Affairs, a large organization within Novartis Drug Development with many interfaces to our sales and R&D organizations globally and locally. Prior to his current role, he held various leadership positions in the United States and Europe. Dr Kowalski has significant experience in large-scale global transformations and has been highly regarded for his development of key talents, many of whom have progressed to leadership positions within Novartis. He holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical science and a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Dr Kowalski is an American citizen and in his future role he will be based in Basel, Switzerland.

“Rob is a strong business and human resources leader with a proven track record in building and leading global organizations. Based on his professional experience at Novartis and his focus on talent culture and development, he will help us evolve our culture and talent change program, implement our People & Organization operating model and better link human capital decisions to business strategy, â€said Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis. “I thank Steven for his invaluable contributions as a leader and advisor to the ECN and the Board of Directors. He has driven a cultural and organizational transformation that supports our company’s priorities and long-term goal and makes us an industry leader in human capital. I wish him the best for his future. “

Warning

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “appoint”, “appointment”, “will”, “become,” ” up to “,” to become “,” effective “,” on an interim basis “,” up to “,” can “,” could “,” expectations “,” will “or similar terms, or by express discussions or implied regarding the appointment of Rob Kowalski as Chief People & Organization Officer of Novartis and member of the ECN. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to important known and unknown risks and uncertainties. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results could differ materially from those stated in forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that Dr. Kowalski will ultimately assume the role of Chief People & Organization Officer, or on any particular date. In particular, our expectations regarding the outcome of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release could be affected, among other things, by general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases such as COVID- 19, and other risks and factors mentioned in the current Novartis AG Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information contained in this press release as of this date and assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis is reinventing medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global pharmaceutical company, we use innovative scientific and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our pursuit of new drugs, we consistently rank among the world’s top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people worldwide and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. Around 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world.
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