Lilly exec resigns after relationship that violated policy

FILE- In this April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Eli Lilly and Co. corporate headquarters in Indianapolis. Eli Lilly’s new COVID-19 treatment helped the drugmaker’s fourth-quarter profit surge even though U.S. regulators approved its use late in the quarter. The antibody treatment bamlanivimab brought in $871 million in sales for Lilly after the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use in November 2020 for patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. . (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Eli Lilly has named a new chief financial officer after the previous one resigned following an investigation into his behavior.

The drugmaker said Tuesday that Josh Smiley stepped down as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Lilly said that it had recently learned of “allegations of an inappropriate personal relationship” between Smiley and an employee.

The company said an independent investigation turned up “consensual though inappropriate personal communications” between Smiley and some employees and behavior that showed poor judgment to the company’s leadership.

The drugmaker named Lilly Research Laboratories Chief Financial Officer Anat Ashkenazi to replace Smiley.