Joaquin Duato is chairman and chief executive of Johnson & Johnson, the largest healthcare company in the world by revenue. A nearly 40-year company veteran who started at Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Spain in 1989, he became CEO in January 2022 and added the chairmanship in January 2023, taking command of a firm whose medicines and medical devices reach hundreds of millions of patients.
After spinning off its consumer-health business as Kenvue in 2023, J&J refocused on two pillars: Innovative Medicine (prescription drugs in oncology, immunology and neuroscience) and MedTech (surgical, cardiovascular and orthopedic devices). Under Duato the company reported $94.2 billion in 2025 revenue and pursued large acquisitions, including the roughly $14.6 billion purchase of Intra-Cellular Therapies and the $13.1 billion buyout of heart-device maker Shockwave Medical.
Because J&J sets prices for blockbuster drugs, supplies critical hospital devices, and holds vast clinical and patient data, Duato sits at the center of the U.S. healthcare system. His decisions affect drug costs, treatment availability, and the company's long-running legal battle over talc-based baby powder, making his stewardship a matter of broad public consequence.
What they control
- Johnson & Johnson: ~$94 billion in annual revenue across medicines and medical technology
- Innovative Medicine: blockbuster drugs in oncology, immunology, neuroscience and other areas
- MedTech: surgical, cardiovascular (Abiomed, Shockwave) and orthopedic device businesses
- Pricing power over widely used prescription drugs and hospital devices
- Extensive clinical-trial, device and patient data generated across global operations
- A multibillion-dollar acquisition pipeline that reshapes drug and device markets
Key institutions & holdings
World's largest healthcare company; $94.2B 2025 revenue.
The pharmaceutical arm where Duato built his career.
Consumer-health business J&J spun off in 2023.
Key facts
- Became J&J CEO in January 2022 and chairman in January 2023.
- J&J reported $94.2 billion in 2025 revenue, up about 6% from the prior year.
- His 2025 total compensation was reported at about $32.8 million, up roughly 35%.
- Joined Johnson & Johnson at Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Spain in 1989.
- Led the $14.6 billion acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies and the $13.1 billion Shockwave Medical deal.
- Oversaw the 2023 spinoff of the consumer-health unit as Kenvue.
Timeline
- 1989Begins his career at Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Spain.
- 2022Becomes CEO of Johnson & Johnson.
- 2023Adds the chairman role; J&J completes the Kenvue consumer-health spinoff.
- 2024Subsidiary Red River Talc files a third 'Texas two-step' bankruptcy to resolve talc claims.
- 2025A Texas judge rejects the talc bankruptcy plan; J&J closes the $14.6B Intra-Cellular acquisition and reports record revenue.
Controversies
Talc litigation and 'Texas two-step' bankruptcies · 2024-2025
J&J has faced tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its talc-based baby powder caused cancer. Under Duato the company made repeated attempts to use a subsidiary bankruptcy to cap liability; a Texas judge rejected the latest roughly $9 billion plan in 2025, and litigation continues.
Drug pricing and patent practices · ongoing
Like other large drugmakers, J&J has drawn scrutiny over the prices of blockbuster medicines and over patent strategies that critics say delay lower-cost competition.
Executive pay amid litigation · 2025
Duato's compensation rose to about $32.8 million for 2025, prompting governance debate given the company's ongoing legal liabilities.
Network
- Alex GorskyPredecessorFormer J&J chairman and CEO whom Duato succeeded.
- Kenvue leadershipSpun-off affiliateNow-independent consumer-health company carved out of J&J.
- Business RoundtablePeer networkDuato is a member of the CEO policy group.
- Intra-Cellular TherapiesAcquisitionMaker of the neuroscience drug Caplyta, bought by J&J.
Why this matters
Johnson & Johnson's medicines, vaccines and devices are woven into everyday healthcare, so the prices it sets and the safety of its products directly affect patients and the cost of the system. The talc litigation shows how a company can use corporate and bankruptcy maneuvers to shape its accountability to people who say they were harmed. As head of the largest healthcare company, Duato influences what treatments cost, which reach the market, and how a corporate giant answers for its past products.