Rita Cataldo is the Chief Executive Officer of Takeda Italia, a subsidiary of the Japanese pharmaceutical multinational Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., since October 1, 2016. With the task of leading the company in its transformation journey to become Best-in-Class in Specialty Care, Cataldo aims to strengthen the specialized skills, business models, and Talents of Takeda, with the ultimate goal of offering cutting-edge therapeutic solutions in areas where there are still many unmet needs.
Citizen of the world, born and raised in the Middle East, speaks five languages and brings with her a long and prestigious experience in the pharmaceutical sector, which has given Takeda Italy an international dimension.
After graduating in Industrial Chemistry from the University La Sapienza in Rome and five years spent in the chemical industry, Cataldo began his journey in the healthcare sector at Janssen-Cilag to continue his career in companies such as Dupont Merck, Schering-Plough, Novartis, and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), with increasingly important roles both in Italy and abroad, mainly in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Germany. He arrived at Takeda from Gilead Italy, where he was appointed General Manager in October 2014.
Already in the mid-90s, she began to focus on specialized areas, ranging from neuroscience to oncology, from infectious diseases to transplants. In recent years, she has been mainly involved in the field of hepatitis C and HIV, areas that are at the forefront of innovation.
Rita Cataldo's international approach and her experience in specialized areas have marked the meeting with Takeda, a company with a long tradition and innovative capacity, which has embarked on a transformation path towards highly specialized areas in gastroenterology and onco-hematology. Today, Cataldo leads one of the largest markets in the Europe and Canada Region of Takeda, which she guides with enthusiasm and determination, sharing the values of ethics and integrity at the core of the company's philosophy.
Following the acquisition of Shire, Rita Cataldo has been confirmed as General Manager of Takeda Italy and is currently leading the integration process of the two Italian subsidiaries.
Rita Cataldo is a supporter of diversity and inclusion, values that represent the true strength of both society and companies.
