Sanofi's board of directors has unanimously appointed Paul Hudson as chief executive officer of the company, to succeed Olivier Brandicourt who has decided to retire.

The position will be effective from September 1st, when Paul will join from his previous role of chief executive officer at Novartis.

He is a seasoned leader with a strong international experience, particularly in the United States, Japan and Europe. He spent his 28-years career with major pharmaceutical companies such as Schering Plough, Astra Zeneca and Novartis.

Serge Weinberg, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sanofi, said of Paul's appointment: "We are very pleased that Paul Hudson has agreed to join Sanofi. His skills and experience give him all the assets he needs to accelerate growth and lead the Group's adaptation to new strategic challenges, particularly in the areas of Research and Development and digital.

"His human values will enable him to mobilize all the energies and increase the agility, that a group such as Sanofi needs, to face the new challenges of our industry and the changes in healthcare systems around the world".