The Novo Nordisk Foundation proposes new candidates for election as members of the Board of Directors of Novo Nordisk A/S

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier today, Novo Nordisk A/S announced that it has called for an extraordinary general meeting to elect new members to its Board of Directors. The Novo Nordisk Foundation agrees with this decision and is proposing new board members for election, including Lars Rebien Sørensen as Chair and Cees de Jong as Vice Chair of the Board of the company.

At the extraordinary general meeting of Novo Nordisk A/S, which will be held on 14 November, the Foundation will propose the following for election to the company's board:

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• Lars Rebien Sørensen, Chair
• Cees de Jong, Vice Chair
• Britt Meelby Jensen, Member
• Mikael Dolsten, Member
• Stephan Engels, Member

Kasim Kutay and the employee-elected board members Elisabeth Dahl Christensen, Liselotte Hyveled, Mette Bøjer Jensen and Thomas Rantzau will remain on the Board.

Furthermore, the Foundation plans to propose Helena Saxon and one additional member for election to Novo Nordisk's Board at the company's Annual General Meeting on 26 March 2026.

A description of each candidate's qualifications and status as an independent or non-independent board member can be found in the appendix to this press release.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Board proposes election of Lars Rebien Sørensen as Chair of Novo Nordisk A/S with the intention that he serves for a limited period of 2-3 years with two key objectives: The first is to support the new management of Novo Nordisk A/S in implementing its transformation plans and regaining the company's growth momentum. The second objective is to identify and appoint a new chair who can successfully lead the company into the 2030s.  

The decision to call for an extraordinary general meeting was taken by Novo Nordisk's Board following a dialogue with the Novo Nordisk Foundation regarding the future composition of the company's Board. Novo Nordisk's Board proposed a renewal focusing on addition of select new competencies while also maintaining continuity, whereas the Board of the Foundation wanted a more extensive reconfiguration of the Board.

Lars Rebien Sørensen, Chair of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, said: "The Foundation fully supports the Novo Nordisk Board's appointment of CEO Mike Doustdar and the transformation plans announced on 10 September. We believe it is time to bring in new competencies and perspectives to the Board to support Mike Doustdar and his leadership team in executing on the company's strategy, and we therefore agree with the decision to call for an extraordinary general meeting. Given the fast-moving environment in which Novo Nordisk operates, we believe that it is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders to implement a board renewal as soon as possible, rather than wait until the ordinary annual general meeting in March next year."

Lars Rebien Sørensen added: "I want to thank Novo Nordisk's Board for setting direction and ensuring governance of the company through years of unprecedented growth."

Lars Rebien Sørensen will remain Chair of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, a position he has held since 2018, but will step down from his position as Chair of Novo Holdings A/S, the Foundation's investment company. A new chair will be announced by Novo Holdings.

Further information
Christian Mostrup, Director, Public Relations, Novo Nordisk Foundation
Phone: +45 30674805, e-mail: [email protected].

Attachment :
The Novo Nordisk Foundation's proposal for the election of members to the Board of Directors of Novo Nordisk A/S at the company's extraordinary general meeting on 14 November 2025.

About the Novo Nordisk Foundation
Established in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people's health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Novo Nordisk Foundation is the majority shareholder of the companies in the Novo Group and through its subsidiary, Novo Holdings, the Foundation owns more than 25% of the shares and holds more than 70% of the votes in Novo Nordisk A/S.

PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2801504/Novo_Nordisk_Foundation_Appendix.pdf

SOURCE Novo Nordisk Foundation