Mike Doustdar

Doustdar was born in Iran on 29 August 1970 and later grew up in the United States. He studied international business at Webster University in Vienna, Austria, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1994. In 2012, he completed an executive programme at Harvard Business School.

Early career at Novo

Doustdar joined Novo in 1992 as an office clerk in Vienna. Over the following decades, he held various positions in finance, logistics, operations, and marketing across multiple regions, including the Near East, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

International operations

In 2014, Doustdar was appointed executive vice president for International Operations, responsible for emerging markets outside Europe and North America. Under his leadership, international sales more than doubled, reaching approximately DKK 112 billion in 2024, supported by a workforce of around 20,000 employees.

CEO of Novo

On 29 July 2025, Novo announced Doustdar's appointment as president and CEO, succeeding Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, effective 7 August 2025. His appointment coincided with the company lowering its financial growth outlook, which led to a decline in share price.

As CEO, Doustdar initiated measures to improve efficiency, including a hiring freeze in non-critical areas and a sharper focus on the company's core therapeutic areas of diabetes and obesity.

Doustdar was included on the 2026 Time 100 list of most influential people in health for his work at Novo.

Doustdar is married and has two sons.