Belén Garijo

Belén Garijo is a Spanish business executive who serves as the chief executive officer of the German multinational science and technology company Merck KGaA, a role she assumed in 2021. She is the first woman to lead the company in its over 350-year history and one of the few female CEOs heading a major DAX-listed corporation. Garijo's career at Merck spans decades, with significant leadership roles across its pharmaceutical and life sciences divisions, driving strategic growth and innovation.

Early life and education

Belén Garijo was born on 2 July 1960 in Alcázar de San Juan, located in the Ciudad Real province of Spain. She pursued her higher education in medicine, earning her medical degree from the University of Valencia. Following this, she specialized in clinical pharmacology and obtained a doctorate from the University of Alcalá, where her research focused on pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism. Her academic training provided a strong foundation in medical science, which she later applied to executive roles within the global healthcare industry.

Career at Merck KGaA

Garijo began her professional career in the pharmaceutical industry at the Spanish subsidiary of Rhône-Poulenc (later part of Sanofi). She joined Merck KGaA in 2011 as the head of its oncology business unit within the Merck Serono division. She quickly ascended, being appointed to the Executive Board of Merck KGaA in 2015 as the CEO of the Healthcare business sector, overseeing the company's entire pharmaceutical operations. In this capacity, she was instrumental in the successful launch of key products like Bavencio (avelumab) and played a pivotal role in expanding the company's immuno-oncology pipeline through strategic collaborations with firms like Pfizer.

Leadership and CEO tenure

In May 2021, Belén Garijo succeeded Stefan Oschmann as the chief executive officer of Merck KGaA, also joining its Supervisory Board. Her tenure as CEO has been marked by a strategic focus on strengthening the company's three business sectors: Life Science, Healthcare, and Electronics. Key initiatives have included significant investments in bioprocessing and single-use technologies for the Life Science unit, advancing the Healthcare division's pipeline in oncology and immunology, and capitalizing on the semiconductor boom through the Electronics business's specialty gases and materials science offerings. Under her leadership, the company has also emphasized sustainability goals and digital transformation.

Board memberships and other roles

Beyond her executive duties at Merck KGaA, Belén Garijo holds several prominent external board positions. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Swiss healthcare giant Roche and the technology corporation Microsoft. She is also a member of the European Round Table for Industry and sits on the Board of Trustees of the United States Council for International Business. These roles position her as an influential figure at the intersection of global healthcare, technology, and economic policy.

Awards and recognition

Belén Garijo has received numerous accolades for her leadership and contributions to business and science. She was named among the "Most Powerful Women in International Business" by *Fortune* magazine. In 2022, she received the Chemie-Wirtschaftsförderpreis (Chemistry Business Promotion Award) from the German Chemical Society (GDCh). Her groundbreaking role has also been recognized in Spain, where she was awarded the Medal of the Circle of Entrepreneurs and honored by organizations like the Spanish Association of Executives.

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Spanish businesspeople Category:Spanish women in business Category:Chief executive officers