Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck has appointed Markus Kedde as chief AI officer (CAO), elevating him from the role of head of finance and business planning.
The newly created role means Kede will relocate from Lundbeck’s U.S. headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois (where he also chairs the U.S. Digital and AI Strategy Committee) to his native Sweden, reporting directly to the drug company’s chief executive Charles van Zyl.
The central nervous system disease expert said in a statement that Kede’s new role is “an important step in Lundbeck’s ambition to become a bionic company, a company where human intelligence is integrated with AI, data analytics, automation and other digital technologies.”
The company said Kede will be tasked with leading “the continued evolution and execution of Lundbeck’s global AI strategy,” including, among other things, establishing strong governance and responsible AI practices, building new AI capabilities, and driving scalable deployment across the company’s business lines.
He will also help oversee Lundbeck’s existing and future collaborations with AI partners, including a broader collaboration established last year with OpenAI that focuses on applying AI across functions from “molecules to patients.”
Others include a 2024 partnership with Iambic Therapeutics. This includes collaboration with the Danish Center for AI Innovation (DCAI) focused on leveraging Iambic Therapeutics’ AI-powered drug discovery platform to discover small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of migraines and operating Gefion, Denmark’s first AI supercomputer, to accelerate drug discovery and development in the fields of neurology and psychiatry.
“Becoming a bionics company is one of our key strategic focus areas,” said van Zyl. “AI is not just about implementing technology; it is about transforming how we think, decide and execute across the entire value chain. Marcus brings the enterprise mindset and proven track record needed to embed AI into our business in a responsible and value-creating way.”
“With a strong team and close cross-functional partnerships, we will lead the continued evolution and execution of Lundbeck’s AI strategy, with a clear mission to ensure strong prioritization, responsible governance, and a clear focus on measurable value creation,” said Kede, who has been with Lundbeck for more than 11 years, in a LinkedIn post.
He is scheduled to assume the role of CAO on July 1st.
