Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) has appointed Tarja Stenvall as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 15, 2026, succeeding longtime leader Paul Chaplin.
Stenvall brings more than 20 years of global healthcare leadership experience drawn from Sanofi, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer to her new role at the Danish vaccine maker.
Her career has spanned country, regional, and global positions across specialty care, general medicines, and vaccines, with responsibility for organisations of more than 3,000 people.
Stenvall has held more than €3 billion in profit-and-loss responsibility throughout her career, giving her significant credentials to lead a commercially active vaccine business.
Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Franchise for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at Sanofi, overseeing a €10 billion franchise portfolio.
She joined Sanofi in 2014 and held several senior leadership positions there before taking on the global franchise role, having previously held commercial leadership roles at AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
Chaplin is stepping down after 12 years as CEO and 27 years with Bavarian Nordic, having joined the company in 1999 and been appointed to the top role in 2014.
His tenure included leading the development of the company’s smallpox and mpox vaccine, and overseeing Bavarian Nordic’s transformation from a small research organisation into a global vaccine manufacturer.
The leadership change follows a failed takeover bid, in which a private equity consortium attempted to acquire Bavarian Nordic but failed to secure sufficient shareholder support in November, leading both the chairman and CEO to announce their departures.
Board Chair Anne Louise Eberhard said Stenvall was selected following “a comprehensive search,” citing her experience leading global life sciences businesses and her background in pharmaceuticals and vaccines.
Eberhard also acknowledged Chaplin’s contribution, crediting him with transforming the company from a research-focused organisation into a global vaccines business with strong commercial operations.
Stenvall said she was “tremendously excited” to join Bavarian Nordic, pointing to its scientific foundation, global manufacturing and supply chain, and commercial platform as key attractions.
Bavarian Nordic shares rose 2.5% following the announcement of the appointment on Thursday.