GlaxoSmithKline has appointed Emma Walmsley, its current head of consumer healthcare, as its new chief executive.
Ms
Walmsley, who joined the UK's biggest drugmaker in 2010 from L'Oreal,
will replace current chief Sir Andrew Witty in March 2017.

Ms Walmsley describes herself as "extremely competitive" with "a bit of a bias for action".
She will be the firm's first female chief executive, and one of only seven female FTSE 100 chief executives.
She
spent 17 years at French cosmetics firm L'Oreal, where she worked in
the UK, Europe, the US and China in marketing and management.
Ms
Walmsley joined GlaxoSmithKline in 2010, and became a member of the
executive team in 2011, running the division selling products including
toothpaste, headache tablets and the malted barley drink, Horlicks.
The
firm produces a broad spectrum of medical and consumer products from
prescription medicines, vaccines and HIV treatments to skincare
products.
'Delighted and honoured'
Big firms have come under increasing pressure to change a culture where women can find it difficult to get into the boardroom.
Between 2012 and 2014, nearly three quarters of FTSE 100 companies had no female executives at all on their boards.
And data suggests that the gender pay gap widens after women return to work after their first baby.
Ms
Warmsley, who is married with four children, will become chief
executive of by far the biggest firm in the FTSE 100 with a woman at the
top.
In a statement, Ms Walmsley said: "I am delighted and honoured to be appointed GSK's next CEO.
"I'm
looking forward to working with Andrew and other leaders over the next
few months to ensure a smooth handover and to develop plans for 2017 and
beyond."
Sir Andrew has been with GSK for more than three decades, having started as a management trainee.
During his nearly ten years as boss, Sir Andrew has overseen initiatives such as the firm's plan to drop patents in the world's poorest countries.
The firm has been developing what could be the world's first malaria vaccine as part of a thirty-year project.
He has also weathered storms including China fining GlaxoSmithKline $490m (£297m) in 2014 after a court found it guilty of bribery and the revelation that GSK cut secret tax deals with the authorities in Luxembourg in 2012.
Horlicks maker
As
well as Horlicks, GlaxoSmithKline's consumer healthcare business
includes brands such as Aquafresh toothpaste and Tums indigestion
tablets.
Ms Walmsley's appointment could be seen as a signal that GSK will keep its consumer operation as a core part of its business.
"Under
Andrew's leadership, GSK has successfully developed into a company with
market-leading positions in pharmaceuticals, vaccines and consumer
healthcare," chairman Philip Hampton said.
"These provide
excellent platforms for sustainable, long-term growth, and we are
confident Emma will successfully build on these strengths."
GlaxoSmithKline employs around 16,000 people in the UK, with about 6,000 of those employed in manufacturing.
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