Robert A. Michael Assumes Role as AbbVie Chief Executive Officer

• As Previously Announced, Richard A. Gonzalez Retires as Chief Executive Officer to Become Executive Chairman
• Robert A. Michael Joins AbbVie Board of Directors

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) today announced that Robert A. Michael has assumed the role of chief executive officer (CEO) and has joined AbbVie’s Board of Directors, effective today. As previously announced, Mr. Michael succeeds Richard A. Gonzalez, who has served as CEO since the company’s inception in 2013. Mr. Gonzalez has become executive chairman of the board of directors.

Mr. Michael previously served as president and chief operating officer of AbbVie and has been a longstanding member of AbbVie’s Executive Leadership Team. In the role of president and chief operating officer, Mr. Michael was responsible for global commercial operations, finance, corporate human resources, global operations, business development and corporate strategy for the company. He was previously appointed vice chairman and president in 2022, vice chairman, finance and commercial operations in 2021 and chief financial officer in 2018. Mr. Michael has more than 31 years of experience including leadership roles across multiple businesses, including pharmaceuticals, aesthetics, diagnostics, diabetes care and nutrition. He began his career with Abbott as a member of the financial development program. 

“It is an honor to step into the CEO role at AbbVie and build on Rick’s achievements,” said Robert A. Michael, chief executive officer, AbbVie. “Our mission to deliver innovative medicines to patients has never been more critical, and the opportunities before us are exciting. I look forward to working with our approximately 50,000 employees to drive the next phase of AbbVie’s growth. I am committed to preserving our strong culture and delivering a remarkable impact for our patients, employees, shareholders and communities. I would like to thank Rick for his strong leadership for the past 11 years, and I am grateful he will continue to contribute to AbbVie as executive chairman.”

“The board and I have great confidence in Rob, and we know that his combination of experience, skills and vision uniquely prepares him to lead AbbVie,” said Richard A. Gonzalez, executive chairman, AbbVie. “We have the right leadership team in place, the strategy and the financial foundation to ensure a bright future for AbbVie. It has been a privilege to serve with the people of AbbVie as CEO, and I look forward to working alongside Rob and the AbbVie Board of Directors to continue to deliver on our promise to patients around the world.”

About AbbVie

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

AbbVie Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project” and similar expressions and uses of future or conditional verbs, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie’s operations is set forth in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of AbbVie’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines, to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

SOURCE AbbVie