Novo Nordisk announced that Maziar Mike Doustdar has been appointed as president and chief executive officer, effective 7 August 2025. Mike Doustdar succeeds Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, who will step down as president and chief executive officer on the same date. The company also announced other executive-level changes, effective 7 August.
Mike Doustdar, currently Novo Nordisk’s executive vice president of International Operations, has a strong track record of creating value and driving growth. Under his leadership over the past decade, Novo Nordisk’s International Operations have more than doubled sales to approximately DKK 112 billion in 2024. The business includes all of Novo Nordisk’s affiliates outside of the US and employs nearly 20,000 people.
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Novo Nordisk Chair, Helge Lund, said: “Mike is an exceptional leader and has the unanimous support of the Board. We are confident that he is the best person to lead Novo Nordisk through its next growth phase. Mike has consistently demonstrated the ability to drive growth through strong commercial execution and building high-performing teams. This is an important moment for Novo Nordisk. The market is developing rapidly, and the company needs to address recent market challenges with speed and ambition. I believe Novo Nordisk will build on its strengths as a global leader in obesity and diabetes, and Mike has a clear vision of how to unlock the full potential of the opportunities ahead.”
Mike Doustdar has been appointed as the result of a comprehensive process that included external and internal candidates. The Novo Nordisk Foundation fully endorses Novo Nordisk Board’s decision to appoint Maziar Mike Doustdar as president and chief executive officer.
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Mike Doustdar said: “It’s an enormous privilege to lead this company at a time of tremendous opportunity and change. I come to this role with a sense of urgency, a laser focus on high performance, and a fierce determination for Novo Nordisk to aim higher than it’s ever done, and to deliver to many more patients the innovation they need. From my decades in leadership roles across Novo Nordisk, I know the extraordinary talent and commitment of our people and the excellence of our science. This has enabled us to achieve great things in the past and will ensure we continue to do so in the future.”
Novo Nordisk Chair, Helge Lund, added:
“Under Lars’s leadership, Novo Nordisk has undergone a profound period of growth and now reaches millions more patients with life-changing medicines. On behalf of Novo Nordisk’s Board of Directors and our employees, I want to thank Lars for 34 years of unstinting commitment to the company and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
