Lundbeck A/S, a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Denmark, has promoted Markus Kede to Senior Vice President and Chief AI Officer (CAIO). He will join the company’s Executive Leadership Team and report to President and CEO, Charl van Zyl.

The move supports Lundbeck’s goal of becoming a bionic company, with AI as a central component of its Focused Innovator strategy. The company is leveraging AI to transform operations, drive innovation, and enhance patient impact.

“Becoming a bionic company is a key element of our strategic plan,” said Charl van Zyl, President and CEO of Lundbeck. “AI goes beyond technology — it reshapes how we think, make decisions, and execute across the organization. Markus brings the expertise and leadership needed to integrate AI responsibly and effectively throughout our business.”

Lundbeck has built strategic AI partnerships in recent years, including collaborations with OpenAI, Iambic Therapeutics, and the Danish Centre for AI Innovation. These initiatives support drug discovery and development, accelerate commercial activities, and improve customer and patient engagement. AI is also helping boost operational efficiency and introduce scalable ways of working across the company.

In his new role, Kede will drive Lundbeck’s global AI strategy, establish governance and responsible AI practices, develop targeted AI capabilities, and oversee enterprise-wide deployment. His focus will be on prioritizing initiatives and delivering measurable value to strengthen the company’s long-term competitiveness.

Kede brings more than 15 years of international leadership experience across global and commercial roles in regulated industries. He currently serves as Senior Vice President, Finance & Business Planning for Lundbeck US, where he oversees strategic and financial performance and chairs the US Digital & AI Strategy Committee. He has played a key role in advancing AI initiatives and promoting adoption across the enterprise. He will transition from his U.S. role in the coming months and is expected to join as CAIO on 1 July.