Sanofi Announces New Global Head of Research & Development Pharma

Sanofi announced the appointment of Paulo Fontoura, MD, PhD, FAAN, as Executive Vice President, Global Head of Research & Development Pharma, effective September 1, 2026. He will be a member of Sanofi's Executive Committee, based in Paris, and will report to Chief Executive Officer Belén Garijo. As head of R&D Pharma, Paulo will lead Sanofi's end-to-end innovation engine, spanning research, translational medicine, clinical development, and regulatory affairs, with responsibility for advancing a differentiated pipeline and accelerating the delivery of transformative medicines to patients. Paulo succeeds Dr. Houman Ashrafian, who has decided to pursue an opportunity outside the company.

"I want to thank Dr. Houman Ashrafian for his contribution to our company over the last three years and I wish him all the best in his next chapter. I am delighted to welcome Paulo to the Executive Team. Paulo is a highly respected R&D leader with a strong track record across research, development, and innovation. His scientific expertise, development experience, and leadership of large-scale innovation organizations will be invaluable as we continue to advance our pipeline and shape the future of R&D at Sanofi,” said Belén Garijo, Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi.

"I am thrilled to join Sanofi at such an exciting moment," said Paulo Fontoura. "In recent years, Sanofi has established a leadership position in immunology and built strong positions in several other areas of significant unmet medical need, while demonstrating a clear commitment to scientific innovation and AI-powered transformation. I am deeply honored to join the company at this important moment and help Sanofi to expand and transform its pipeline and grow its leadership role in biopharma, and I look forward to working with our talented teams to advance breakthrough medicines for patients around the world.”