Implementing a succession plan he claims to have hatched a year ago, Dan Vasella is stepping aside as ceo and will be succeeded by Joe Jimenez, who currently heads the Novartis pharma biz. Vasella, however, will remain chairman. Meanwhile, Joerg Reinhardt, who less than two years ago was named chief operating officer (see here) and was widely believed to have been the next ceo, is leaving altogether.

The other changes: David Epstein, who currently heads the oncology business, will now run the pharma biz; Jon Symonds will replace the retiring Raymund Breu as cfo; and the executive committee will shrink from 12 to 9. The Novartis 9 includes Jimenez; Epstein; Symonds; Mark Fishman, global head of the Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research; Jeff George, who runs generics; George Gunn, who heads consumer health; Andrin Oswald, who oversees vaccines and diagnostics; Tom Werlen, the general counsel: and Jurgen Brokatzky-Geiger, who runs human resources. Three exec jobs have been eliminated: the heads of corporate affairs and group quality and technical ops. As a result, Andreas Rummelt and Thomas Wellauer are also leaving (see statement and chart).

The decision to step aside as ceo will please some corporate governance critics. Vasella had come under fire from some shareholders for holding both top jobs amid an ongoing debate in Switzerland as to whether a ceo involved in day-to-day company activities can also succeed as chairman (background here).