Novartis CEO joins Anthropic board of directors
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Anthropic has appointed Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, to its board of directors. This move strengthens the group's foothold in healthcare and illustrates the growing significance of AI applications within the life sciences sector.
Kevin Smith
Published on 04/15/2026 at 01:04 am EDT
On Tuesday Anthropic announced the appointment of Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, to its board of directors. His appointment was decided by the Anthropic Long-Term Benefit Trust, an independent body tasked with maintaining the balance between shareholder interests and the group's public benefit mission. With this addition, directors designated by the trust now hold a majority on the board.Anthropic highlighted Vas Narasimhan's profile as a physician-scientist and his experience in one of the world's most heavily regulated sectors. The group noted that he has overseen the development and approval of over 35 new medicines, viewing healthcare and life sciences as among the most promising application areas for artificial intelligence. In a LinkedIn post, the Novartis chief emphasized the necessity of responsible AI deployment, stating that these tools can accelerate the understanding of disease biology, the identification of therapeutic targets and the design of better drugs.This appointment comes as Anthropic increasingly enters the market's radar. Bloomberg reported in late March that the group was considering an IPO as early as Q4 2026, although no official confirmation has been provided by the company at this stage. In this context, the arrival of Vas Narasimhan can also be interpreted as a strengthening of governance at a pivotal moment in the group's development.