Who is Emma Walmsley?

Who is Emma Walmsley?

gsk.com

Emma Walmsley is the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline and former CEO of GSK Vaccines. She also sits on the boards of Unilever and the Wellcome Trust, among others. On top of that, she was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016. In other words, Emma Walmsley has accomplished quite a lot over her career so far! But what did she do to get to where she is now?

Emma's journey to the top

Emma Walmsley isn’t only GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s first female CEO – she's also one of Britain's youngest CEOs. Born in 1970, Emma grew up near Edinburgh and attended a number of prestigious schools before going on to Oxford University where she completed a Master’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She then joined Unilever and it was here that her impressive career began. As Unilever’s Director of Strategy from 2002-2007, Emma oversaw many mergers and acquisitions including Alberto Culver (2006), Ben & Jerry’s Homemade (2001) and Bestfoods (2002). From there, Emma moved to Europe where she eventually became President of Lifestyle across Western Europe. It’s not easy to make it to the very top of an organization as big as GlaxoSmithKline. In fact, many CEOs never reach that level—not because they don’t have enough talent or dedication, but because they never get a chance. According to Workopolis, less than 1% of CEOs in North America are women and only about 6% of women even make it into middle management positions. The numbers aren’t much better in other parts of the world. For example, only 3% of CEO positions in Europe are held by women—and just 2% in Asia. 

Her biggest challenge

Emma takes over as chief executive on a year when GlaxoSmithKline faces a bribery investigation in China and must deliver a new cancer drug. She takes up her role at an extremely challenging time for GSK, said fund manager Neil Woodford, who owns shares in Glaxo. But he added: I have no doubt that Emma will have made plans to deal with these issues successfully. The company says it believes it has acted responsibly and is cooperating with Chinese officials.

Emma's advice for young people

It's important to stand up for what you believe in. Emma was one of five children in a working-class family and went to university on a state bursary. Despite her modest background, she didn't let it hold her back, becoming one of GSK's first female executives. And now she's championing women in business: Doing more for diversity is not about feeling good about yourself but getting better outcomes from your talent pool. She still lives in Chorleywood, just outside London, and has been married to her husband Jonny (who also works at GSK) for 12 years.

Emma's top tip

You need to get good at two things. You need to be good at reading and you need to be good at interpreting data. Also, because research and development are such a crucial part of what we do, it's really important that you're able to make decisions on behalf of people you've never met in places you've never been. - Emma Walmsley

Why I admire Emma

Since Emma took over as CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in March 2018, her vision has been crystal clear: GSK must continue to innovate at a rapid pace and become a more agile, customer-focused organization to meet customers’ evolving needs. Her passion for her mission shines through every time she speaks. As someone who has worked with her and benefited from her first-hand leadership style, I’m truly inspired by how much she cares about making an impact on our industry — and people. If you get a chance to hear Emma speak in person or sit down with her for coffee, take it; your company will undoubtedly benefit from hearing what she has to say.