Fall River native becomes President of U.S. Business operations of largest life sciences employer in Massachusetts

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts – Takeda has announced in a press release that Durfee grad Rhonda Pacheco, most recently group vice president of U.S. Cardiometabolic Health at Eli Lilly, will join Takeda, effective September 29, as president of Takeda’s U.S. Business Unit and will be a member of the Takeda Executive Team. Pacheco will succeed Julie Kim, who was appointed by the Takeda Board of Directors to succeed Christophe Weber as president & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Takeda in June 2026.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rhonda to Takeda,” said Julie Kim and Christophe Weber. “Rhonda embodies our values, and she brings a compelling blend of strategic acumen, operational excellence and people-first leadership that aligns seamlessly with the evolving needs of our U.S. Business Unit and Takeda’s broader enterprise vision.”

“Pacheco comes to Takeda from Eli Lilly where she oversaw complex portfolios in a range of leadership roles, including successful product launches, most recently its GLP1 portfolio, and delivered strong commercial performance.”

“For me, joining Takeda to lead the U.S. Business Unit is where purpose and possibility come together — a chance to reshape how we deliver breakthrough science to patients,” said Pacheco. “I’m energized to be working with such a talented team to accelerate innovation, deepen trust, and set a new standard for what patients, partners and communities can expect from Takeda.”

Pacheco, a Fall River native, holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a doctorate of pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island, where she was captain of the women’s basketball team.

According to the Durfee High School Athletic Hall of Fame, which she is a member of, Pacheco was “known for her hustle, relentless work ethic, and fierce competitiveness. She was a Dave Cowens nominee for dedication to basketball and was named Durfee High School Athlete of the Year as a senior. She was also a Big-Three Conference Basketball All-Star as a senior and won the Farquahar Memorial Award for outstanding dedication to girls’ basketball.”

“Rhonda was recognized by the Fall River City Council for being named to the All-State All-Academic Team by the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association. She also played softball, earning MVP honors as a senior while being named a Big Three Conference All-Star. She was also named a Big Three All-Star in soccer as a senior.”