Lechleiter came to Lilly in 1979 as an organic chemist
August 6th, 2008“My experience equips me to meet the company’s biggest challenge, which is to bring new molecules forward,” Lechleiter said in an interview on Tuesday. He said he intends to give Lilly scientists the breathing space needed for invention.
The 58-year-old Taurel’s retirement and the selection of Lechleiter to succeed him had been widely expected since Lechleiter was promoted to COO in October 2005 and assumed ever greater responsibility and a higher profile with the Indianapolis-based company.
Lechleiter came to Lilly in 1979 as an organic chemist and over the next 15 years took a number of senior executive roles in research and development, including stints in England and Europe. In 2004, the year before he became Taurel’s top deputy, he was named head of Lilly’s pharmaceutical operations.
Lechleiter said Lilly’s future success could hinge in part on its ability to create medicines tailored for the genetic makeup of patients, a discipline Lilly calls “tailored therapeutics.”