# Rick Winningham

> Rick Winningham is the CEO of Theravance Biopharma, a biopharmaceutical company focused on organ-selective medicines for serious diseases including COPD, rare neurological conditions, and inflammatory diseases. With over 40 years in the pharmaceutical industry - including 13 years as CEO of Innoviva and 15 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb - Winningham has built a career defined by transformative drug development, strategic company leadership, and a widely recognized commitment to mentoring the next generation of biopharma executives, particularly women in leadership. He was named the 2026 HBA Honorable Mentor by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association.

- **Role:** CEO at Theravance Biopharma
- **Organizations:** Theravance Biopharma US, LLC, Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc, Rivus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Retrotope
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Finance, Southern Illinois University, M.B.A. in Quantitative Methods and Finance, Texas Christian University
- **Known for:** Led Theravance Biopharma as CEO since its 2014 spin-off from Innoviva, establishing it as a successful independent public biopharmaceutical company, Drove record Q4 and full year 2024 financial results at Theravance Biopharma, Grew YUPELRI hospital-based commercial channel doses 49% year-over-year in Q4 2024

## Career timeline

- **1986** — Joined Bristol-Myers Squibb (then Bristol Myers) in a management role
- **1997** — Became President of Bristol-Myers Squibb Oncology/Immunology and Oncology Therapeutics Network (OTN)
- **2000** — Became President of Global Marketing at Bristol-Myers Squibb, overseeing Cardiovascular, Infectious Disease, Immunology, Oncology/Metabolics, and GU/GI/Neuroscience
- **2001** — Joined Innoviva (formerly Theravance) as Chief Executive Officer
- **2010** — Named Chairman of the Board of Innoviva
- **2013** — Joined the Board of Directors and became Chairman of what would become Theravance Biopharma
- **2014** — Led the spin-off of Theravance Biopharma from Innoviva; became CEO of the new independent publicly-traded company
- **2014** — Became Chairman of the California Healthcare Institute (CHI)
- **2015** — Became Chairman of the California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) following the merger of CHI and Baybio
- **2024** — Theravance achieved record fourth quarter and full year financial results; YUPELRI hospital doses grew 49% year-over-year
- **2024** — CEO and Chairman roles separated; Susannah Gray became Chair while Winningham continues as CEO
- **2026** — Named 2026 Honorable Mentor by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA)

## Achievements

- Led Theravance Biopharma as CEO since its 2014 spin-off from Innoviva, establishing it as a successful independent public biopharmaceutical company
- Drove record Q4 and full year 2024 financial results at Theravance Biopharma
- Grew YUPELRI hospital-based commercial channel doses 49% year-over-year in Q4 2024
- Achieved $50 million in TRELEGY-related sales milestones in 2024
- Named 2026 Honorable Mentor by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association - an award given annually to a single executive
- Built a senior leadership team at Theravance where more than half are women
- Served 13 years as CEO of Innoviva, leading it through major growth in respiratory therapeutics
- Served 15 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb, rising to President of Global Marketing
- Lead Independent Director at Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc
- Former Chairman of the California Life Sciences Association (CLSA)
- Former Chairman of the California Healthcare Institute (CHI)

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Named 2026 Honorable Mentor by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA)
- **2025-08** — Appeared on Episode 61 of 'The BioHub: The Top Voices in Biotech' podcast discussing leadership and Theravance's vision
- **2025-06** — Made a bona fide gift of 20,000 ordinary Theravance shares
- **2025-01** — Theravance Biopharma reported record fourth quarter and full year 2024 financial results with record YUPELRI net sales
- **2024-10** — CEO and Chairman roles at Theravance Biopharma separated; Susannah Gray became Chair while Winningham continues as CEO

## Links

- Website: https://theravance.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-winningham-9b54129

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/rick-winningham
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-15