Daiichi Sankyo has appointed Ken Keller as its new Chief Commercialization Officer. Consequently, he will lead a newly integrated Commercialization Unit to drive global commercial operations starting April 1, 2027.
Strategic Expansion and Governance Roles
The company aims to accelerate the growth of its innovative oncology and specialty medicine portfolios. Furthermore, Daiichi Sankyo announced this strategy as part of its operational excellence plan introduced in May 2026. The new framework integrates global commercial activities to improve speed of execution and consistency in decision-making.
Ultimately, this structural reorganization supports the ambitious goal of Daiichi Sankyo to rank among the top five global oncology companies by 2035. Keller will simultaneously maintain his position on the Board of Directors of Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited. In addition, he continues to serve as Chairman, President, and CEO of Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Keller joined the organization in 2014 and led global oncology operations over the last five years.
“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.”
Before joining the firm, Keller spent 20 years managing commercial operations at Amgen. He also served as Chief Operating Officer at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals before moving to Daiichi Sankyo. The newly established unit restructures operations across five designated business regions. Yuichi Yomasu will lead commercialization efforts across the China business region.
Markus Kosch will lead the European business region covering oncology and specialty portfolio lines. Nobuo Murakami will be responsible for operations in Japan, Asia, and the Pacific. Marcelo Goncalves will oversee Latin America, and Kenji Shigeta will lead North American commercial activities.
At the same time, new global functional heads will take responsibility for commercial excellence, marketing, alliance management, and medical affairs. Together, these leaders will support an anticipated 20 new indication launches through 2030.
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Source: Businesswire
