Dive Brief:
- British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline on Thursday confirmed that the company had appointed Sir Philip Hampton to be its next chairman. Hampton currently serves in another one of the most high-profile roles in British business as chair of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
- Hampton will replace outgoing chair Sir Christopher Gent, who has served in the role for more than a decade, next September.
- To transition into the new role, Hampton will first become a GSK director in January and deputy chairman next April.
Dive Insight:
Hampton will be stepping into this top leadership position during a tumultuous time for Glaxo, which was fined a record $489 million for bribing doctors to use its products in China. That same scandal also saw five GSK execs receive suspended jail sentences.
But Hampton is no stranger to tumultuous times. He joined the Royal Bank of Scotland during the height of the global financial crisis in 2009 and worked to revive the largely publicly-owned bank's reputation and stability after its bailout.
"I am looking forward to working with my colleagues [at RBS] in the months ahead as we work to implement the bank's strategy and continue to improve the support we provide to our customers," said Hampton in a statement.