COPENHAGEN: Bavarian Nordic A/S announced Thursday that Tarja Stenvall will become its next president and chief executive officer, effective Oct. 15, 2026.

Stenvall succeeds Paul Chaplin, whose departure was announced earlier this year.

She joins the Danish vaccine maker after more than 20 years of leadership experience at Sanofi, AstraZeneca and Pfizer, where she held country, regional and global roles across specialty care, general medicines and vaccines. She has led organizations of more than 3,000 people and managed profit-and-loss responsibility exceeding 3 billion euros.

“Following a comprehensive search, the Board is pleased to appoint Tarja Stenvall as new Chief Executive Officer of Bavarian Nordic,” said Anne Louise Eberhard, chair of the board of directors.

“Tarja Stenvall brings a proven ability to scale and lead a global life science business, combining strategic vision with deep experience from global pharma and vaccines industry and passion for improving and protecting lives.”

Eberhard said the company is “entering the next chapter from a position of strength” and expressed the board’s confidence in Stenvall’s leadership. She also thanked Chaplin for his years of service, noting that under his leadership the company evolved from a research-focused organization into a global vaccines company.

Stenvall said she was drawn to Bavarian Nordic’s combination of scientific foundation, global manufacturing and supply chain, and commercial platform.

“I am excited by the opportunity to expand the global impact of Bavarian Nordic’s vaccines while continuing to strengthen the company’s position as a leading global vaccine company,” she said.

Stenvall most recently served as senior vice president and head of global franchise for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at Sanofi, overseeing global portfolio strategy and long-term planning for a €10 billion franchise. She previously held senior roles at Sanofi including senior vice president for key markets in general medicines, senior vice president for Europe, and vice president for vaccines in Latin America.

Before joining Sanofi in 2014, she held commercial leadership positions at AstraZeneca and Pfizer.

Stenvall holds a degree in economics from Aalto University in Finland and an MBA in international business from the University of South Carolina.

Effective Oct. 15, Bavarian Nordic’s executive management will consist of Stenvall as president and CEO; Henrik Juuel as executive vice president and chief financial officer; Jean-Christophe May as executive vice president and chief commercial officer; and Russell Thirsk as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Bavarian Nordic is a global vaccine company and a preferred supplier of mpox and smallpox vaccines to governments, with a portfolio of travel vaccines.