Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) has appointed Ken Keller to the newly created role of Chief Commercialization Officer, responsible for accelerating further growth of the company’s oncology and specialty medicine business through a new globally integrated Commercialization Unit, effective April 1, 2027.

As part of the operational excellence pillar outlined in the new Five-Year Business Plan of Daiichi Sankyo in May 2026, commercialization activities will be centralized and reorganized to drive greater speed and consistency, while optimizing resource management and investment decisions as part of the company’s ambition to become a global top five oncology company by 2035.

In addition to the new Chief Commercialization Officer role, Ken will remain a member of the Board of Directors of Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, as well as the Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., the company’s U.S. subsidiary. Ken joined Daiichi Sankyo in 2014 and has served as the Head of the Global Oncology Business for the past five years, responsible for building the commercial capabilities of the company in the U.S. and Europe. During his tenure at Daiichi Sankyo, Ken also served in a dual role from 2016 to 2021 as the President and CEO of American Regent, Inc., a subsidiary of Daiichi Sankyo, while leading the U.S. business for Daiichi Sankyo.

“Over the past decade, Ken has played a pivotal role in advancing the commercial capabilities of Daiichi Sankyo and has been instrumental in the successful launches of Enhertu® and Datroway®, our two lead DXd antibody drug conjugates. Enhertu has become the most successful antibody drug conjugate by both number of approved indications and revenue, reflecting the strength of the commercial foundation Ken has helped build,” said Hiroyuki Okuzawa, President and CEO of Daiichi Sankyo. “Ken’s leadership also has been central to bringing important rare disease and supportive care medicines to patients such as Vanflyta®, Turalio® and Injectafer®, demonstrating the breadth and depth of his experience. His proven track record, strategic insight and leadership make him the right person to serve as our new Chief Commercialization Officer.”

“Taking on this role at Daiichi Sankyo during this pivotal period of accelerated growth is an honor,” said Ken Keller. “As we look to the future, I am excited to help lead the continued transformation of Daiichi Sankyo into a global top five oncology company defined by innovation, scientific excellence and long-term impact for patients. We have an extraordinary opportunity to build on our strong foundation, advance groundbreaking medicines and create lasting value for patients, healthcare providers and the communities we serve globally.”

Prior to Daiichi Sankyo, Ken spent 20 years at Amgen where he held several leadership roles with increasing global and commercial responsibility, including Vice President and General Manager, Bone Health Business Unit, and successfully launched numerous biological medicines in therapeutic areas such as oncology, bone health, nephrology and inflammatory diseases. Ken also served as Chief Operating Officer at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for leading global commercial operations, medical and clinical development, regulatory, quality and safety. Ken holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Loyola Marymount University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from St. John’s University.

New Commercialization Unit

Under the new Commercialization Unit, commercialization structure and resources will be centralized and reorganized into a new five region business structure, strategically redesigned to support the unique and complementary characteristics of each region and join new or restructured global commercial functions that will continue to strengthen capabilities and best practices across Daiichi Sankyo. This new commercialization model will enhance global coordination, enable faster decision-making and allocate resources more effectively to support the anticipated launch of 20 new indications across five medicines by 2030.

Appointments for the new business regions and global functions bring extensive leadership and expertise to these roles and include:

Regional Business

  • China Business: Yuichi Yomasu, who currently is a Corporate Officer and the Head of the ASCA (Asia, South and Central America) Business Unit, will lead commercialization efforts in China. A 32-year veteran of Daiichi Sankyo, Yuichi previously served as the President of the company’s China affiliate from 2018 to 2022.

  • Europe Business: Markus Kosch, MD, who has been the Head of the European and Canada Oncology Business Division for the past five years, will become the Head of Europe Business, which will include both oncology and specialty medicine business in the region.

  • Japan, Asia and Pacific Business: Nobuo Murakami, who has served an expansive 40-year career at Daiichi Sankyo and is currently a Senior Executive Officer and the Head of Global Corporate Strategy and Chief Strategy Officer, will lead the Japan, Asia and Pacific Business.

  • Latin America Business: Marcelo Goncalves, who joined Daiichi Sankyo in 2011 and currently serves as the President of the Daiichi Sankyo affiliate in Brazil, will lead the Latin America Business, which will consist of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

  • North America Business: Kenji Shigeta, who currently is a Senior Executive Officer and the Head of the U.S. Oncology Business Division since April 2026, will expand his responsibility to Canada, leveraging his 32 years of experience at Daiichi Sankyo across several leadership roles, including Head of Global Oncology Marketing.

Global Functions

  • Global Commercial Excellence: A new global function, focused on standardizing commercial processes, reporting and systems worldwide will be led by Oliver Appelhans who brings 20 years of experience at Daiichi Sankyo in several business-focused roles and currently is the Head of EU Specialty Business Unit.

  • Global Oncology Alliance Management: Radha Ramkumar was appointed in May 2026 to lead the Global Oncology Alliance Management function following more than 15 years of oncology development and program leadership experience at Daiichi Sankyo. She will continue to oversee the company’s two major global alliances as well as positioning the company for future collaborations.

  • Global Oncology Business Strategy and Analytics: Rich Jones will continue to lead the Global Oncology Business Strategy and Analytics function, which he established five years ago, responsible for leading market research, forecasting, competitive intelligence and pipeline strategy globally.

  • Global Oncology Marketing, Access and Pricing: Dan Switzer was appointed in April 2026 to lead the Global Marketing, Access and Pricing function following more than 20 years at Daiichi Sankyo where he most recently served as the Head of the U.S. Oncology Business Division, responsible for transforming the U.S. commercial and medical teams into an oncology-focused organization.

  • Global Oncology Medical Affairs: Ahmed Kotb, MD joined Daiichi Sankyo in January 2025 to lead the Global Oncology Medical Affairs function and will continue to oversee and strengthen the medical strategy of the company’s oncology portfolio across the global medical community.

  • Global Specialty Business: Manuel Reiberg who brings more than 20 years of experience at Daiichi Sankyo across corporate strategy, business development and country manager roles, will continue to lead the Global Specialty Business function following his appointment in April 2025.

About Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) is a global healthcare company committed to becoming a trusted healthcare innovator, transforming the lives of people through its strength in science and technology. The company discovers and develops new standards of care to address diverse medical needs to fulfill its purpose of contributing to the enrichment of quality of life around the world. With a strategic focus on oncology, Daiichi Sankyo is advancing an industry-leading antibody drug conjugate portfolio along with identifying new breakthrough generating technologies to deliver practice-changing medicines to patients, healthcare professionals and society. For more information, please visit www.daiichisankyo.com.

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