Joaquin Duato

Joaquin Duato (born April 1962) is a Spanish-American business executive. Duato is a dual citizen of Spain and the United States. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Johnson & Johnson, an American multinational conglomerate. He is the eighth person to be CEO of Johnson & Johnson since it became a publicly-traded company in 1944.

Early life and education
Duato grew up in Valencia, Spain. His career in health care was influenced by his family. His mother was a nurse, his grandfather was a pediatrician, and his grandmother a pharmacist. Duato speaks English,Spanish, and Italian. He received a Master of Business Administration from ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, and a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Arizona.

Career
In 1989, Duato began his career with Johnson & Johnson, joining Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Spain. After moving to the USA in 2002, Duato was appointed Executive Vice President, Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals in 2011. His growth strategy led to the turnaround of Johnson & Johnson’s struggling pharmaceutical business in the early 2000s.

In 2018 when he was promoted to vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s executive committee, he led the pharmaceuticals and consumer product divisions and oversaw supply-chain and technology operations. He also was interim Chief Information Officer.

Duato was appointed CEO in August 2021 which became effective on January 3, 2022. He was also appointed to the company’s board of directors. In November 2022, he was elected to chair the Board of Directors, effective January 2023. Duato oversaw the separation of Johnson & Johnson's consumer health segment, now an independent publicly traded company, Kenvue.

During this time, Duato also was the executive sponsor of the company's African Ancestry Leadership Council.

In 2023, Duato was the highest paid CEO of the major pharmaceutical companies, earning $28.4 million.That was a 117% increase over 2022.

Board membership and honors
Joaquin Duato is a board member of the U.S. Spain Council and previously served on boards with UNICEF USA, Tsinghua University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Hess Corporation. Duato was past chair of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Duato was Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Honorable Mentor honoree and EVP in 2017. In 2021, Duato was ranked #3 on the NJBIZ Manufacturing Power 50 list. The following year, Duato received the 2022 ESADE Award.