Oct. 15, 2026
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Alex Gorsky is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson. He began his Johnson & Johnson career as a sales representative in 1988, advancing through positions of increasing responsibility across business units, geographies, and divisions. In 2012, he became the seventh leader to serve in the dual role of Chairman and CEO. He became Executive Chairman at the end of 2021, which he held until his retirement in January 2023.
As part of the company’s commitment to serving more than a billion people each day, Alex oversaw significant breakthroughs in their Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, and Consumer portfolios. Additionally, throughout Alex’s tenure, Johnson & Johnson consistently earned recognition for its innovation, effective management, and strong global reputation.
Through his work as a member of the Business Roundtable and the Business Council Executive Committees, Alex’s influence has shaped both the healthcare landscape and the greater business community. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Apple, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, the Cleveland Clinic, and the Travis Manion Foundation, and serves on the Board of Advisors, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the April and Jay Graham Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute.
He also works with companies across the healthcare and technology landscape as a General Partner with Iconiq Capital and as the Co-Founder of the Alderline Group. Alex completed his undergraduate education at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and earned his MBA from Wharton in 1996.
Neil C. Sheppard, DPhil (Oxon) is a cell therapy leader focused on translating engineered immune cell platforms into early clinical development. His work centers on NK and T cell CAR-based therapies, with an emphasis on improving efficacy, persistence, and manufacturability. His expertise spans translational strategy, cell engineering, and GMP-aligned process development in complex clinical and regulatory settings. At the University of Pennsylvania Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, he leads programs at the interface of academic innovation and clinical translation within a leading cell therapy ecosystem. He previously held Executive Director-level roles in biotech, leading cross-functional teams and programs internationally. He is a member of several Scientific Advisory Boards, and co-founder of a UPenn spinout focused on cell therapy manufacturing.