Novartis Unveils Legal Leadership Change as Biotech Hiring Booms

Novartis Unveils Legal Leadership Change as Biotech Hiring Booms


Novartis AG announced Friday that its global head of litigation, Thomas Kendris, will on an interim basis succeed its outgoing chief legal officer Shannon Thyme Klinger.To get more novartis latest news, you can visit shine news official website.

Novartis said in a statement that Klinger will depart the Swiss drug giant March 15 to return to the U.S. and take a job at “a biotechnology company.” Novartis didn’t identify the company and declined to discuss Klinger’s new role. Klinger didn’t respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Her move is the latest in a series of comings-and-goings by law department leaders working for biotechnology startups, drug developers, and medical equipment manufacturers. The health care, life sciences, and pharmaceutical sectors have been busy hiring lawyers within the past year, in part due to the increased demands on some companies stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

Novartis promoted Klinger nearly three years ago to its top legal role upon the resignation of former group general counsel Felix Ehrat, who stepped down following the disclosure of a consulting agreement he approved with Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump.

Cohen received $1.2 million in payments from Novartis, which in late 2018 appointed Klaus Moosmayer to be its head of ethics, risk, and compliance as part of a legal and compliance overhaul by the Basel, Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company.

Klinger had served as chief ethics, risk, and compliance officer and head of litigation at Novartis, roles she assumed in May 2016 after working as global head of legal and general counsel for the company’s Sandoz generic drug division.

During her time as Novartis’ top lawyer, Klinger, a former partner at Alston & Bird and Mayer Brown, implemented a program requiring the company’s 22 “preferred” outside law firms to commit themselves to diverse staffing goals.

Novartis announced in February 2020 that it would hold back 15% of total billings from its group of outside vendors unless those firms devoted 30% of billable associate time and 20% of partner time to women, racially and ethnically diverse individuals, or members of the LGBTQ community.

In an interview last month with Legal Week, a trade publication in the U.K., Klinger said that within the past year 49% of partners and 68% of associates working on Novartis matters have met its diverse criteria. She noted that Novartis has not yet had to hold back fees from any firm.

Novartis CEO Vasant Narasimhan in a statement praised Klinger for her “leadership, counsel, and impact on our businesses over 10 years.” He said Klinger “created one of the most respected legal departments within the industry, including for its commitment to diversity and inclusion.”