Another major pharmaceutical company has recently appointed a senior executive to lead its artificial intelligence and digital innovation efforts.

Divya Dhankhar announced via LinkedIn that she has joined Gilead Sciences as the Global Director of Digital Innovation and Artificial Intelligence, a strategic appointment aimed at strengthening the company's digital capabilities.

In her new role, Dhankhar will lead initiatives to integrate AI and digital innovation across Gilead's global business operations, with the goal of enhancing customer engagement services.

Prior to joining Gilead, Dhankhar held a core management position at Lundbeck, where she led projects related to the Next Best Experience (NBX) program, utilizing AI to optimize customer communication models and refine omnichannel operational strategies.

Dhankhar also previously held several management roles at Cognizant, where she collaborated with leading pharmaceutical companies like AbbVie to implement multiple digital transformation projects, with deep expertise in commercial operations, sales data analytics, and data-driven decision-making.

In 2024, Gilead entered its first AI-focused drug discovery collaboration with Genesis Therapeutics, involving an upfront payment of $35 million.

In April of this year, Gilead also announced a multi-year expanded collaboration with the AI healthcare technology company Tempus, aimed at building and advancing oncology program pipelines.