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The board also announced that, at the time of his retirement at the end of2008, Mr. Taurel will be designated chairman emeritus in recognition of hismany significant contributions to the company during his tenure as chairmanand chief executive officer.
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"I am honored to be chosen to serve as chairman of Eli Lilly and Companyand build upon the strong foundation established by Sidney Taurel," saidLechleiter. "The company and our industry face unprecedented change in thecoming years, and we must transform our business to succeed in thischallenging healthcare environment. At Lilly, we recognize these challengesand have developed a strategy that places improved outcomes for patients atthe core of our efforts. We believe that this strategy will allow us to notonly remain competitive, but to thrive. Our shareholders, our employees, andmost importantly the patients who depend upon our medicines, will acceptnothing less."
"I am confident that John is the right choice to lead the company aschairman," commented Taurel. "He is well-respected across the industry and hasthe depth of experience, wisdom and vision to lead Lilly to great success bothtoday and in the future. As chairman, John will continue to do what isnecessary to deliver on our strategy and increase the company's value for ourshareholders."
Karen N. Horn, Ph.D., the board's presiding independent director, said,"Since becoming CEO in April, John has shown himself to be a dynamic andhighly capable leader, passionate about the company's mission and equallypassionate about preserving and enhancing the Lilly culture of integrity,transparency and strong governance. Our shareholders will be well served byJohn's leadership in the years ahead."
Taurel served as Lilly's chief executive officer from July, 1998 throughApril, 2008 and has served as Lilly's chairman since January 1, 1999. He ispast chairman of the board of directors of Pharmaceutical Research andManufacturers of America (PhRMA) and serves as a member of the executivecommittee of The Business Council. He is also a member of the boards of bothIBM Corporation and McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. He serves on the board ofoverseers of the Columbia Business School, is a trustee at the IndianapolisMuseum of Art, and is on the board of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships.Taurel served on the President's Homeland Security Advisory Council (2002-2004), the President's Export Council (2005-2006), and has since April 2007served on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. He isalso an officer in the French Legion of Honor.
Lechleiter joined Lilly in 1979 as a senior organic chemist in processresearch and development, and he became a head in that department in 1982. In1984 he began serving as director of pharmaceutical product development forthe Lilly Research Center (Erl Wood) in Windlesham, England, and hesubsequently returned to the U.S. in 1986 as manager of research anddevelopment projects for Europe. In 1988, he became director of developmentprojects management, and in 1989 assumed additional responsibility forpharmaceutical regulatory affairs, chemistry, manufacturing and control. In1991 he was named executive director of pharmaceutical product development andbecame vice president in 1993. Lechleiter was appointed vice president ofregulatory affairs in 1994, vice president of Lilly Research Laboratories in1996, and senior vice president of pharmaceutical products in 1998. In 2001he became executive vi
