AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a United States-based pharmaceutical company, announced on Monday that it has named Robert A Michael as its new chief executive officer (CEO) and that he joined the company's board of directors effective 1 July.

Michael succeeds Richard A Gonzalez, who has worked as CEO since the company's inception in 2013. He has become executive chairman of the board of directors.

Michael has served as president and chief operating officer of AbbVie and has been a longstanding member of AbbVie's executive leadership team. He has also served as vice chairman and president in 2022, vice chairman, finance and commercial operations in 2021 and chief financial officer in 2018. He has over 31 years of experience including leadership roles across multiple businesses, including pharmaceuticals, aesthetics, diagnostics, diabetes care and nutrition. He started his career at Abbott as a member of the financial development program.