Alex Gorsky Biography and Net Worth

Alex Gorsky is Executive Chairman of Johnson & Johnson, and one of just seven leaders to have served in the dual role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1944.

Alex began his Johnson & Johnson career as a sales representative with Janssen Pharmaceutica in 1988. Over the next three decades, he advanced through positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, and management, culminating in being named CEO and Chairman in 2012.

Under his leadership, Johnson & Johnson became an industry leader in areas including oncology, immunology, and digital surgery, and reimagined how one of the world’s most iconic companies could meet the healthcare needs of families around the globe. During Alex’s tenure, record levels of R&D investment, including $14.7 billion in 2021 alone, as well as hundreds of acquisitions and partnerships contributed to significant growth across its Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, and Consumer Health sectors. As part of Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to serving more than a billion people each day, Alex also oversaw significant breakthroughs in public health, including the successful deployment of an Ebola vaccine in Africa and the development of the Janssen single-shot COVID-19 vaccine in just 13 months.

During Alex’s time as CEO, Johnson & Johnson was consistently recognized as one of the most innovative and best-managed companies in the world—featured on the list of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in each year of his tenure, recognized as a “Most Innovative Company” by Fast Company, repeatedly named to Fortune’s “Change the World” list, and ranked as the #1 best-run healthcare company in The Wall Street Journal Management Top 250 since its inception in 2017. Alex continually promoted a more diverse and inclusive culture at Johnson & Johnson, serving as the driving force behind many of the company’s DE&I initiatives, including a $100 million pledge to fight health inequities faced by communities of color in the United States.

Outside Johnson & Johnson, Mr. Gorsky’s influence has shaped both the healthcare landscape and the greater business community through his work as a member of the Business Roundtable and the Business Council Executive Committees. Among other accolades, he has been honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award (2017), the Prix Galien Roy Vagelos Pro Bono Humanum Award (2021), the BENS Eisenhower Award for outstanding contributions to the United States (2021), the Franklin Institute Bower Award for Leadership (2022), and the Distinguished Graduate Award from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (2022). Alex currently sits on the Board of Directors of Apple, IBM, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the Travis Manion Foundation, and Wharton’s Board of Advisors.

After completing his undergraduate education at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Mr. Gorsky served six years in the Army, earning the rank of captain, the Ranger tab, and Airborne wings. He earned his MBA from Wharton in 1996. Alex has been married to his wife, Pat, for more than 30 years, and they are the parents to one son, Nick.