Novo Nordisk Names Mike Doustdar As New CEO, Effective August 2025, Succeeding Lars Jørgensen After Record Growth

Novo Nordisk has appointed Maziar Mike Doustdar as its new President and CEO, effective 7 August 2025. He will take over from Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, who will step down on the same day after leading the company since 2017. The leadership transition comes alongside other executive-level changes, also effective from 7 August, marking a strategic evolution in the company's top management.

Novo Nordisk Chair, Helge Lund, said, “Mike is an exceptional leader and has the unanimous support of the Board. We are confident that he is the best person to lead Novo Nordisk through its next growth phase. Mike has consistently demonstrated the ability to drive growth through strong commercial execution and building high-performing teams. This is an important moment for Novo Nordisk. The market is developing rapidly, and the company needs to address recent market challenges with speed and ambition. I believe Novo Nordisk will build on its strengths as a global leader in obesity and diabetes, and Mike has a clear vision of how to unlock the full potential of the opportunities ahead.”

Mike Doustdar currently serves as Executive Vice President of International Operations, where he has overseen a period of remarkable growth. Over the last decade, he has more than doubled sales in Novo Nordisk’s international markets, reaching approximately DKK 112 billion in 2024. His leadership spans operations across all territories outside the United States and nearly 20,000 employees globally.

Novo Nordisk Chair, Helge Lund, added, “Under Lars’s leadership, Novo Nordisk has undergone a profound period of growth and now reaches millions more patients with life-changing medicines. On behalf of Novo Nordisk’s Board of Directors and our employees, I want to thank Lars for 34 years of unstinting commitment to the company and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

His appointment followed a rigorous selection process evaluating both internal and external candidates. The decision has been fully endorsed by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and reflects the Board's confidence in Doustdar’s ability to continue scaling the company’s global presence and innovation pipeline amid growing demand for its diabetes and obesity therapies.

Mike Doustdar said, “It’s an enormous privilege to lead this company at a time of tremendous opportunity and change. I come to this role with a sense of urgency, a laser focus on high performance, and a fierce determination for Novo Nordisk to aim higher than it’s ever done, and to deliver to many more patients the innovation they need. From my decades in leadership roles across Novo Nordisk, I know the extraordinary talent and commitment of our people and the excellence of our science. This has enabled us to achieve great things in the past and will ensure we continue to do so in the future.”