Ken Keller Named Daiichi Sankyo Commercialisation Chief

Ken Keller will take the reins of an entirely new commercial unit at Daiichi Sankyo from April 2027, when he begins his time as Chief Commercialisation Officer at the Japanese pharmaceutical company. 

As part of Daiichi Sankyo’s ambition to become a “global top five oncology company” by 2035 and expand its specialty medicine business, the globally integrated “Commercialisation Unit” will centralise and reorganise activities to improve speed, consistency and resource allocation.  

Daiichi Sankyo is a global pharmaceutical company, with more than 20,000 employees and operations across more than 30 countries. With 120 years of scientific expertise, it focuses on innovative medicines, with oncology at the heart of its growth strategy.

“Over the past decade, Ken has played a pivotal role in advancing the commercial capabilities of Daiichi Sankyo,” says Hiroyuki Okuzawa, President and CEO of Daiichi Sankyo.  

“His proven track record, strategic insight and leadership make him the right person to serve as our new Chief Commercialisation Officer,” continues Hiroyuki.

Wide-ranging industry experience

Ken is a pharmaceutical industry veteran, having spent more than 20 years at Amgen prior to joining Daiichi Sankyo.

Across his more than two decades at the firm, he has held a range of positions, including sales representative roles, Vice President of Oncology, Managing Director of UK and Ireland and Vice President of Amgen’s Bone Health business division. 

Ken joined Daiichi Sankyo in 2014 and has led its global oncology business for the past five years, overseeing the development of the company’s commercial capabilities across the US and Europe. From 2016 to 2021, he also served as President and CEO of Daiichi Sankyo subsidiary American Regent, while continuing to lead the company’s US business.

Discussing his new position on LinkedIn, Ken writes: “As I build and shape this next chapter, my focus is simple: creating a team grounded in purpose, fueled by passion and committed to each other at a level that makes speed, resilience and global impact possible.

“Our 2035 Vision is ambitious - becoming a global top five oncology leader. Our collective team will help realise this, not by individual accomplishments and metrics, but by the patients we reach and the lives we help change together.” 

Ambitious goals

Ken’s reference to Daiichi Sankyo’s 2035 vision alludes to the company’s ambitious growth plans over the next decade – a set of business goals Ken’s new unit will play a crucial role in achieving. 

In May 2026, Daiichi Sankyo announced it was aiming to generate JPY2.3tn (US$14.45bn) in revenue from its oncology business by 2030, as part of its next Five-Year Business Plan.

Daiichi Sankyo’s Five-Year Business Plan targets more than JPY3tn (US$18.85bn) in revenue by FY2030, up from JPY2.1tn (US$13.19bn) in its 2025 financial year. 

Commercial unit composition 

Daiichi Sankyo says the new commercial unit under Ken’s leadership will centralise resources across five regions, ahead of 20 planned indication launches across five medicines by 2030.

Daiichi Sankyo’s key partners

AstraZeneca

Headquarters: Cambridge, UK

CEO: Pascal Soriot

Daiichi Sankyo’s partnership with AstraZeneca has been central to its transformation into an oncology-focused pharmaceutical company. The companies began a global collaboration on Enhertu in 2019, jointly developing and commercialising the HER2-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) outside Japan. The partnership was expanded in 2020 to include Datroway.
 

Merck & Co. 

Headquarters: Rahway, New Jersey

CEO: Rob Davis

Daiichi Sankyo’s strategic alliance with Merck & Co. is focused on developing and commercialising three ADCs: patritumab deruxtecan, ifinatamab deruxtecan and raludotatug deruxtecan. Announced in 2023, the agreement covers global development and commercialisation, excluding Japan, and has a potential value of up to $22bn if sales milestones are achieved.

The companies subsequently expanded the partnership in 2024 to include Merck’s MK-6070, broadening the collaboration beyond the original three ADCs.