internal
Robert M. Davis
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
Executive
5 yr
15 reports
Merck & Co., Inc. ·MRK
Two presidents run science and manufacturing under one CEO
Pharmaceuticals · Fortune #63 · Divisional structure · 71K employees · Rahway, NJ
View as of:
6
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 9)
3.2
Avg span
moderate
3
Max depth
3 levels
5.8 yr
Avg tenure
stable vs FY2024
50%
Internal hires
near industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$65.0B
Net income
$18.3B
Total assets
$136.9B
Shares out
2.47B
Sourced from Merck & Co., Inc. DEF 14A · filed 2026-04-08 ↗ View on SEC
Interactive org chart
Merck & Co., Inc. organizational chart
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Two presidents—one for research and one for manufacturing—report directly to the CEO. This page maps Merck’s divisional structure, executive team, and governance, with analysis of CEO span, leadership changes, and peer comparison.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Latest signal Sanat Chattopadhyay departed as President, Merck Manufacturing Division
Announced retirement effective July 1, 2026
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief Operating Officer Introduce a COO to integrate research, manufacturing, and commercial execution, reducing CEO span.
- Manufacturing President Succession Remove the retiring manufacturing president role pending appointment of a successor.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
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- Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.
The people
Who's running this
7 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
Dean Li
Executive Vice President and President, Merck Research Laboratories
Research
8 yr
2 reports
internal
Caroline Litchfield
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Finance
4 yr
3 reports
Sanat Chattopadhyay
Executive Vice President and President, Merck Manufacturing Division
Manufacturing
10 yr
2 reports
Jennifer Zachary
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Legal
6 yr
2 reports
Betty Larson
Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Human Resources
2 yr
0 reports
Open Role
Chief Information Officer
IT
1 yr
0 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 1 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
Robert M. Davis $20.8M
- Base salary
- $1.65M
- Stock awards
- $12.10M
- Option awards
- $3.38M
- Non-equity incentive
- $2.33M
- Pension change
- $685K
- Other
- $658K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The skin in the game
Beneficial ownership
Insider stock holdings and the company's ownership requirements for executives and directors. Disclosed in the most recent DEF 14A.
Stock ownership requirements
6×CEO base salary
3×NEO base salary
5×Director cash retainer
Executives and directors must hold meaningful amounts of company stock.
| Holder | Shares | % of class |
|---|---|---|
| Robert M. Davis | 1.23M | <1% |
The businesses
How Merck & Co., Inc. divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Merck Research Laboratories
20K employees
President, Merck Research Laboratories (Dean Li)
Global discovery and development organization responsible for Merck’s pharmaceutical pipeline.
Merck Manufacturing Division
15K employees
President, Merck Manufacturing Division (Sanat Chattopadhyay)
Manufacturing, supply chain, and quality operations supporting global product delivery.
Finance
3K employees
Chief Financial Officer (Caroline Litchfield)
Financial planning, reporting, treasury, and investor relations.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Two presidents—one for research and one for manufacturing—report directly to the CEO, an uncommon structure even among large pharmaceutical peers.
This separates scientific discovery from industrial execution at the top level, giving each equal standing in capital allocation and strategic debates. The structure reinforces Merck’s science-led strategy while keeping manufacturing scale and quality independent.
- Separate presidents for research and manufacturing
- No COO role
The comparison
How Merck & Co., Inc. stacks up
Compared with peers like Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, Merck places unusually strong formal authority in its research and manufacturing heads rather than consolidating operations under a COO. Many competitors rely on a single pharma president or COO to integrate R&D and supply. Merck’s approach increases CEO …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Merck & Co., Inc. — no COO — no CAIO
Novartis ✓ COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most significant upcoming change is the planned July 2026 retirement of manufacturing president Sanat Chattopadhyay.
- departedSanat Chattopadhyay President, Merck Manufacturing Division
Announced retirement effective July 1, 2026
Source - new
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-04-08
- CEO
- Robert M. Davis
- CEO span
- 5
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 5.8 yr
Leadership emphasized dual presidents for research and manufacturing.
Named executive officers (5)
- Robert M. Davis - CEO since 2021
- Caroline Litchfield - CFO since 2021
- Sanat Chattopadhyay - President, Manufacturing since 2016
- Dean Li - President, Research since 2017
- Jennifer Zachary - General Counsel since 2020
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-04-09
- CEO
- Robert M. Davis
- CEO span
- 6
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 5.2 yr
Animal Health was represented at the top table.
Named executive officers (5)
- Robert M. Davis - CEO since 2021
- Caroline Litchfield - CFO since 2021
- Richard R. DeLuca - President, Animal Health since 2019
- Dean Li - President, Research since 2017
- Betty Larson - CHRO since 2024
Year-over-year changes
Animal Health leadership moved out of the core C-suite, narrowing CEO span.
- CEO span: 6 → 5
- C-suite size: 6 → 5
- Avg tenure: 5.2 → 5.8 yr
- departed Richard R. DeLuca - President, Animal Health (DEF 14A 2026-04-08)
The board
Board of directors
2 directors. 1 of 2 independent (50%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.
Robert M. Davis
Chair Inside
Chairman and CEO, Merck & Co.
Thomas H. Glocer
Lead Indep. Independent
Former CEO, Thomson Reuters
The board, organized
Board committees
1 standing committees. Audit and Compensation must be 100% independent under SEC rules; the rest vary.
Audit Committee
100% independent
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Merck & Co.?
Robert M. Davis has served as Chairman and CEO since July 2021.
What type of organizational structure does Merck & Co. use?
Merck uses a divisional structure with major businesses led by dedicated presidents.
How many direct reports does Merck & Co.'s CEO have?
The CEO has six direct reports, including the CFO and two business presidents.
How has Merck & Co.'s leadership changed recently?
Merck announced the planned July 2026 retirement of manufacturing president Sanat Chattopadhyay and added a new CHRO in 2024.
Does Merck & Co. have a COO?
No, Merck does not have a COO; manufacturing and research are led by separate presidents reporting to the CEO.
Sources
- DEF 14A, Apr 2026
- Company disclosure, 2024
- SEC EDGAR: Merck & Co., Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Merck & Co., Inc. 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.
APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Merck & Co., Inc. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/merck/MLA 9th
"Merck & Co., Inc. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/merck/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Merck & Co., Inc. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/merck/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Merck & Co., Inc.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-04-08. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/310158/000119312526147704/d85708ddef14a.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/merck/ · last updated 2026-04-01