GSK looks to Burberry for new CFO

Current incumbent Iain Mackay is retiring, GSK said, and will step down from the role and board in May 2023. Brown, currently chief operating and financial officer of the luxury fashion brand, will join GSK in April 2023.

Emma Walmsley, chief executive, said: "I am absolutely delighted that Julie will be joining the leadership team. Julie is a very experienced CFO with a tremendous understanding of the biopharma sector."

Brown joined Burberry in 2017 from Smith & Nephew, before which she had spent 25 years at Anglo-Swedish drugs group AstraZeneca, including a period as interim chief financial officer.

Mackay joined drug and healthcare giant GlaxoSmithKline in 2019. Earlier this year, the healthcare business was spun off as Haleon, with the remainder of the business rebranded GSK and focused exclusively on prescription drugs and vaccines.

Haleon’s £30bn listing was the biggest in London since Glencore's 2011 initial public offering.

Shares in GSK were ahead 2% as trading got underway at 0815 BST, at 1,335.2p.