Giovanni Caforio, Biopharma Chief Executive Officer and Public Policy Advocate, to Speak at Stevens’ 149th Commencement

(Hoboken, N.J – May 3, 2021) – President Nariman Farvardin has announced that Giovanni Caforio, chief executive officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb, will deliver the 2021 Undergraduate Commencement address on Wednesday, May 26. 

Caforio was appointed CEO in 2015 and elected as chairman of the Board of Directors in 2017. Today, Bristol-Myers Squibb is one of the world’s leading biopharma companies and focused on transforming patients’ lives through science. 

Through his leadership, the company has worked to promote an inclusive culture where employees are encouraged to think outside the box to deliver innovative medicines to some of the most challenging diseases of our time. He has built a strong patient-focused culture with teams who are passionate about the work they do to help patients prevail over serious and life-threatening diseases. 

“Dr. Caforio is an inspirational and transformational leader whose contributions to healthcare have improved the quality of life for many thousands of people around the globe,” said President Farvardin. “He exemplifies the qualities to which our graduates should aspire as they use their Stevens education to build their careers and to make the world a better place.”

Caforio has consistently advocated for more inclusivity, placing emphasis on healthcare innovation and supporting patient access to medicines through his work as a member of the Board of Directors for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, known as PhRMA.

Caforio also served as chief operating officer of Enterprise Services and Global Manufacturing & Supply, where he led a fully integrated worldwide commercial organization and directed the company-wide functions. Following his successes as COO, he was appointed the company’s chief commercial officer. As a native Italian, Caforio received his medical degree from the University of Rome.

The Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies will be divided into four smaller, in-person commencement ceremonies at the Meadowlands Expo Center for the Class of 2021 divided by school and major. Each graduate will be permitted two guests in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

– Stevens –

About Stevens Institute of Technology 

Stevens Institute of Technology is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, New Jersey overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Since our founding in 1870, technological innovation has been the hallmark of Stevens’ education and research. Within the university’s three schools and one college, 7,300 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate closely with faculty in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment. Academic and research programs spanning business, computing, engineering, the arts and other disciplines actively advance the frontiers of science and leverage technology to confront our most pressing global challenges. As Stevens celebrates its 150th anniversary, the university continues to be consistently ranked among the nation’s leaders in career services, post-graduation salaries of alumni, and return on tuition investment.

Stevens media contact: Thania Benios, Director of Public Relations, [email protected], 917-930-5988