J&J’s General Counsel to Retire at Year’s End

On Jul 18, 2022

New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced that Michael Ullmann will retire from his position as executive vice president, general counsel at the end of this year. He will be succeeded by Elizabeth Forminard who has worked as general counsel within J&J’s Pharmaceutical, MedTech, and Consumer Health sectors during her 16 years at the company.

During his 33 years of leadership and service to the company, Ullmann has worked with the organization’s Board of Directors and partnered with four company CEOs to shape and grow J&J into the most broadly based healthcare company in the world.

“For three decades, Mike set the standard for credo leadership at the company. I thank him for his unwavering commitment to help deliver on our purpose of advancing health for humanity,” said Joaquin Duato, chief executive officer, J&J. “Throughout his tenure, Mike has guided the company through an evolving global environment with respect and clarity, always keeping our patients and customers at the center of all decisions.”

Besides being named general counsel, Forminard will also be appointed as a member of J&J’s executive committee, effective Oct. 17. Ullmann and Forminard will work together during a transition period until Ullmann’s retirement at the end of this year.

Besides serving as general counsel across each of the Pharmaceutical, Consumer Health and MedTech sectors, Forminard was also worldwide vice president leading the corporate governance function. She also had numerous other functional and business-facing roles during this time.

Throughout her tenure on the Law Department Executive Committee (LDEC), Forminard has built and led global teams who share her vision for the role legal can play in driving innovation and influencing the external environment to enable positive patient outcomes. In her most recent role,

Forminard served as general counsel for the Pharmaceuticals Legal Group and member of the Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee, leading the legal function globally for the sector and for J&J Global External Innovation and Global Public Health, where she drove programs to ensure optimal, aligned intellectual property, regulatory and commercial strategies internally, and helped to shape the global healthcare environment externally.

Ullmann joined J&J as a mergers & acquisitions attorney in 1989 and has since held positions of increasing responsibility in the company’s law department, ultimately serving as general counsel for the past 11 years. During this time, Ullmann led the company through complex matters while ensuring all J&J standards and policies reflect the needs of a changing world and a new generation of employees, underscoring a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and reinforcing the company’s dedication to the health of humanity.

“I’m thrilled to appoint Liz to this important role and will lean on her strong business acumen and understanding of patient and customer needs during this pivotal time at our company,” said Duato. “I’m confident her distinguished experience and leadership will help us find new pathways to bring innovative healthcare solutions to those in need all over the world.”

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