Leadership
James M. Cornelius
Chairman and CEO
Jim Cornelius was elected chairman of the Board by the company’s Board of Directors on February 11, 2008. He was named CEO in September 2006, and he continues serving in that role as well. He also serves as chairman of the Board of Mead Johnson Nutrition, an 83 percent Bristol-Myers Squibb-owned public company since February 2009.
“Our vision for Bristol-Myers Squibb is to become a health care leader for the future,” says Jim. “By uniquely combining the best elements of a leading-edge biotech company with the reach and resources of a major pharmaceutical company, we are transforming into a new kind of enterprise – a next-generation BioPharma leader.”
Since 2002 the company has brought nine key products to market for the treatment of serious disease, including two new biologic medicines. “Our focus is helping patients prevail,” says Jim. “Moving forward, our strategy will be unwavering.”
Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Jim served as chairman emeritus of the Guidant Board of Directors upon closing of its merger into Boston Scientific in April 2006. He had previously served as chairman and CEO during the merger process and was responsible for the company’s initial public offering and subsequent split-off from Eli Lilly in 1995.
Jim was a member of the Board of Directors of Lilly, a member of its Executive Committee and chief financial officer from 1983 to 1995. From 1980-1982, he served as president and CEO of IVAC Corporation, previously a Lilly subsidiary. He continues to serve on the Board of Given Imaging Ltd., an Israeli company listed on NASDAQ.
Jim has received several honorary doctorate degrees in recognition of his civic and philanthropic activities in Indiana. Jim is president of the Cornelius Family Foundation and has served United Way of Central Indiana in several leadership positions.
Jim’s passion is football. “I’m a Colts fan because they have been so successful on the field. They have one star who gets all the press, but it’s a team effort. I like successful teams – in sports and in business – and our plan for Bristol-Myers Squibb is to be successful, both for our patients and for our stockholders.”
Jim was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and attended Michigan State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in accounting in 1965 and an MBA in 1967. He is married with two adult children.
March, 2009