Sanofi Ouster Mirrors Teva With Corporate Culture Clashes
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Pharmaceutical executives are learning that the global forces shaping the industry sometimes come in direct conflict with the demands of local culture.
The ouster of Chris Viehbacher, a Canadian-German dual citizen, from Sanofi on Oct. 29 reminded investors that while France’s crown jewel operates globally, its core identity is still very much French. His dismissal echoed the departure of Jeremy Levin almost exactly a year earlier, after he had become the first CEO from abroad to manage Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.