CSL names ViiV Healthcare chief Deborah Waterhouse as its next CEO from February 2027
The Australian biotech company said Waterhouse, who has led GSK's HIV business ViiV since 2017, will take over on 1 February 2027 on a base salary of £1.5 million.
CSL has appointed Deborah Waterhouse as chief executive and managing director from 1 February 2027, the Melbourne-based biotech company told the ASX on Wednesday 21 October.
Waterhouse has been chief executive of ViiV Healthcare, the HIV medicines company majority owned by GSK, since 2017, and is also president of GSK Global Health. CSL said ViiV had sales of £7.7 billion in GSK’s 2025 financial year. She was GSK’s general manager for Australia and New Zealand from 2008 to 2012.
CSL chair Brian McNamee said the board’s decision was unanimous after a global search. He said the company had said in February that its next chief executive would need to continue its commercial momentum, renew its pipeline and simplify its operations. “Deborah has done all those things on multiple occasions,” he said.
“The foundations are strong. My job is to continue the momentum and evolve the path into reliable growth for patients and shareholders,” Waterhouse said.
She will remain based in the United Kingdom. Her base salary will be £1.5 million a year, and CSL will grant restricted stock units worth £7.71 million to replace GSK awards she gives up, according to the contract terms CSL published. Gordon Naylor will stay as interim chief executive until then and return to the board as a non-executive director.
ViiV said GSK Europe president Lynn Baxter will succeed Waterhouse there from 1 November 2026.
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