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Since becoming Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in May 2021, Belén Garijo has led a business transformation to strengthen the company's position as a global science and technology leader. She has mobilized the organization for long-term growth and aligned 63,000 colleagues across 65 countries to unlock customer and patient value.

Under her leadership, the company has pursued four key priorities:

• High-impact culture and leadership,
• Innovation powered by AI, data, and digital,
• Efficient growth and sustainable performance, and
• Long-term value through sustainability.

She joined Group´s Healthcare business sector in 2011 and became its President and CEO in 2015. During her tenure, she led the turnaround of the Healthcare business and its strategic shift to become a global player in oncology and immunology by repositioning the portfolio, reorganizing R&D, and realigning the commercial model. She also forged major global alliances that further contributed to the Healthcare portfolio's value and fostered the business's globalization to focus more on the U.S., Japan, and other high-growth markets.

Before joining Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, she served as the Senior Vice President of Global Operations Europe at Sanofi-Aventis, leading the integration of Genzyme after its acquisition. She previously held several local and global executive positions in R&D and commercial at various companies at the forefront of the healthcare sector. After working in Madrid, Chicago, New Jersey, Barcelona, Paris, and Geneva, she is now based at the headquarters of the Company in Darmstadt.

Belén Garijo was included in the Most Powerful Women lists of Fortune and Forbes in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, she received the German Diversity Honorary Award and was designated by the King of Spain as Honorary Brand Ambassador for Spain. In 2024, she received the John M McCloy Award from the American Council on Germany for her commitment to building strong transatlantic relations and dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Belén Garijo was born on July 31, 1960, in Almansa, Spain. She is a medical doctor specialist in clinical pharmacology and began her career as a practicing physician at La Paz Hospital, Madrid. 

Responsibility for Group functions

• Group Legal & Compliance
• Group Internal Auditing
• Corporate Sustainability, Quality & Trade Compliance
• Group Communications, Brand & Corporate Affairs
• Group Human Resources
• Group Strategy, M&A and Venturing
• Group Science & Technology Office

External positions

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A., (publicly listed company), External Board Director
• EU-Japan Business Round Table, EU-side Chair
• German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), Member of the Executive Committee
• European Round Table for Industry, Member
• The Business Council, Active Member
• Board member of Lóreal, April 2014 to 2024.