COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday that its chairman, Helge Lund, and six other board members would resign at an extraordinary general meeting scheduled for November 14, after a dispute over strategy with the group’s majority shareholder, the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation said it would offer Lars Rebien-Sorensen, former Novo Nordisk chief executive and current chairman of the Foundation, to become temporary chairman of the drugmaker for a period of two to three years.
The maker of Wegovy ousted its chief executive, Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, in May for fear of losing its advantage in the highly competitive obesity drug market.
“Given the rapidly changing environment in which Novo Nordisk operates, we believe it is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders to proceed with the renewal of the board of directors as soon as possible, rather than waiting for the annual general meeting next March,” Lars Rebien-Sorensen said in a statement.
In a separate statement, Helge Lund said it had “not been possible to reach a joint agreement” with the Foundation.
“The board proposed a renewal focused on adding selected new skills while maintaining continuity, while the Foundation board wanted a more significant reconfiguration,” he said, without giving further details.
Helge Lund has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of Novo Nordisk since 2018.
(Written by Stine Jacobsen and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Etienne Breban, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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