Shlomo Yanai, president and CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, plans to retire May 2012. As part of a succession plan, the board of directors has named Jeremy Levin, MD, a former senior executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), to succeed him at that time.

Levin has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceuticals industry. He joined BMS in 2007. Before joining BMS, Levin served from 2003 to 2007 as global head of business development and strategic alliances at Novartis. Earlier, he was CEO of Cadus Pharmaceuticals, which he took public.

Levin was born in South Africa and has lived in the U.S. since 1986. He received an undergraduate degree from Oxford University in zoology, master's and doctoral degrees from Oxford University in molecular biology and a medical degree from Cambridge University. 

Yanai has been president and CEO of Teva since March 1, 2007. Prior to joining Teva, he was the president and CEO of Makhteshim Agan Industries from 2003 through 2006. Until his retirement from the Israel Defense Forces as a major general, he held positions as head of the Planning Branch of the Israel Defense Forces, commanding officer of the Southern Command and head of the army R&D division.