Our leadership team inspires and challenges every aspect of the organization to develop life-changing solutions for the patients of today and tomorrow. Along with their peers who sit overseas, this dynamic and experienced group of U.S.-based leaders enable us to create innovative medicines that can change the standard of care.
Ken Keller
Ken Keller is the Chairman of the Board President and Chief Executive Officer of Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. He is also the Head of the Global Oncology Business responsible for leading the overarching company strategy of ensuring innovative medicines are available to patients with cancer around the world. With more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Ken has led multi-billion dollar businesses in both U.S. and Europe while working to unify cross-functional teams to create a global infrastructure – enabling the commercial success of Daiichi Sankyo oncology and specialty medicines.
Through leadership roles in multiple markets, across cultures and within different healthcare systems, Ken has successfully launched numerous biologic products in therapeutic areas ranging from oncology to bone health to nephrology to inflammatory diseases, transformed businesses, and delivered sustainable revenue and profit growth. With more than 20 years of oncology experience, Ken had a longstanding career at Amgen where he held several leadership roles, with increasing global and commercial responsibility, including Vice President and General Manager, Bone Health Business Unit. Prior to joining Daiichi Sankyo, Ken served as Chief Operating Officer at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, where he held global responsibility for leading commercial operations, medical and clinical development, regulatory, quality, safety and pharmaceutical operations.
Ken is motivated by passion for innovation and compassion for patients, which is at the core of everything he instills within his leadership teams. Developing and coaching high-performing global teams that can have a profound impact on patient lives and leading an organization that is responsible for helping to change the standard of care for the oncology community is a privilege he is incredibly grateful for.
Daniel Switzer
As Head of Global Oncology Marketing, Access & Pricing, Dan is responsible for fostering a unified vision, promoting disciplined decision-making, and ensuring cohesive execution to how Daiichi Sankyo delivers our medicines to patients around the world. Dan also serves on the leadership team for the Global Oncology Business Unit and is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Board of Directors.
Dan has been with Daiichi Sankyo since 2005, holding leadership roles in brand management, market access, and business analytics. Most recently, Dan led the transformation of the Daiichi Sankyo US commercial and medical organization into an oncology company.
Dan leads with a passion to make Daiichi Sankyo a global leader in oncology and to change the standard of care and improve and extend the lives of cancer patients.
Kenji Shigeta
As Head of the US Oncology Business Division, Kenji is responsible for driving the commercialization and performance of current and emerging oncology products, leading Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Medical Affairs, and Business Operations for the US market. He is also a member of the leadership team for the Global Oncology Business Unit.
Prior to his current role, he served as the Head of Global Oncology Marketing at Daiichi Sankyo, leading marketing strategies for the oncology portfolio. His leadership was instrumental in scaling a high-performing global marketing organization, achieving launch excellence across various regions, and elevating Daiichi Sankyo’s brand recognition on an international scale.
Kenji started his career at Sankyo, a legacy company of Daiichi Sankyo, more than 30 years ago. He has held several leadership positions, including roles in alliance management, global business strategy, new product planning, and portfolio development. His extensive experience spans both Japan and the United States and encompasses a variety of therapeutic areas such as oncology, cardiovascular, diabetes, gastrointestinal, and antibiotic products.
With a patient-first approach to leadership, Kenji fosters a culture based on shared goals, mutual trust, and collaboration. His dedication to providing hope for patients and their families inspires him each day.
John Tsai, MD
As Global Head of Research & Development for Daiichi Sankyo, John leads the organization’s global clinical development strategy and serves on the Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Board of Directors. He leads the global R&D organization as the company advances its transformation into a global oncology leader, driving a robust clinical pipeline that includes next-generation antibody drug conjugates and other novel therapies and modalities.
Prior to joining Daiichi Sankyo, John was Executive Partner at Syncona, a London-based venture capital firm, where he evaluated new opportunities to strengthen its biotech portfolio and supported pipeline advancement across portfolio companies. Previously, he served as President, Global Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer at Novartis, leading a portfolio of 160 projects and 500 clinical trials and securing global approvals for 15 new medicines. He also held senior leadership roles at Amgen and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
John practiced internal medicine and served as Chief Resident and faculty member at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco. He earned his M.D. from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.
John is motivated by the convergence of scientific innovation and the opportunity to advance therapies that address significant unmet patient needs. The accelerating pace of healthcare progress—including AI-enabled capabilities—continues to energize him as drug development becomes faster and more precise.
Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Board of Directors
| Chairman of the Board, Corporate President & CEO | Ken Keller |
|---|---|
| Director | Dick Van Duyne |
| Director, Global Head of R&D | Ken Takeshita |
| Director, Head of US Oncology Business Div. | Dan Switzer |
| Director (Independent) | Hiroyuki Fujita*1 |
1Hiroyuki Fujita is the Chairman of Canon Healthcare USA, INC. etc.
To view the Board of Directors of our parent company, Daiichi Sankyo Co., LTD., visit: https://www.daiichisankyo.com/about_us/mission-strength/leadership/