Novartis CEO Narasimhan Joins Anthropic Board
Narasimhan becomes the first pharmaceutical executive on Anthropic’s board, with his appointment giving directors backed by the company’s Long-Term Benefit Trust a majority.
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Novartis Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan has been appointed to the board of Anthropic by its Long-Term Benefit Trust, bringing a senior pharmaceutical executive into the governance of one of the world’s leading AI firms.
Narasimhan, a physician-scientist, brings decades of experience in drug development and regulated innovation, and is the first executive from the drug industry to join Anthropic’s board.
“Vas brings something rare to our board. He’s overseen the development and approval of more than 35 novel medicines for the benefit of patients around the world in one of the most regulated industries,” said Daniela Amodei, Co-Founder and President of Anthropic.
“Getting powerful new technology to people safely and at scale is what we think about every day at Anthropic. Vas has been doing exactly that for years, and I’m grateful he’s joining us,” he said.
Anthropic operates as a public benefit corporation, with governance split between shareholders and its Long-Term Benefit Trust, an independent body with no financial stake in the company.
The Trust is designed to ensure the company balances commercial growth with its stated mission of building AI for the long-term benefit of humanity.
With Narasimhan’s appointment, Trust-backed directors now form a majority on the board.
“The Long-Term Benefit Trust’s role is to appoint directors who will ensure Anthropic responsibly balances its commitment to stockholders and its public benefit mission as the company grows,” said Neil Shah, chair of the Trust. “Vas has spent his career stewarding breakthrough science responsibly, exactly the perspective we are excited to have on the board as we develop consequential technology.”
Narasimhan joins a board that includes Anthropic leadership such as Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei, alongside members like Reed Hastings and Jay Kreps.
“Working across medicine, innovation, and global health has shown me the transformative potential of technology when deployed responsibly,” he said.
“In healthcare, AI is accelerating solutions to some of the hardest scientific challenges, from deepening our understanding of disease biology to designing better medicines,” he said.
Earlier in his career, Narasimhan worked on HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis programmes across India, Africa, and South America, experience that continues to shape his focus on access and global health, even as AI begins to reshape how medicines are discovered and delivered.
