As a member of Lilly’s board, Mr Oberhelman will serve on both the audit committee and finance committee. Mr Oberhelman currently serves as a group president of Caterpillar and is a member of its executive office.
The company has also announced that On January 1, 2009, John Lechleiter, president and CEO of Eli Lilly will succeed outgoing chairman Sidney Taurel, who had previously announced his retirement from the company and the board, effective December 31, 2008.
Mr Lechleiter said: “I look forward to working together with Doug and the other Lilly board members to deliver increased value for our shareholders. Doug’s experiences will directly support several key aspects of our strategy, including our commitment to be more customer-focused, more productive and more global in our scope and reach.”