(Bloomberg) -- GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s research and development chief is set to step down from the role this year after the company splits in two, becoming chief executive of a Silicon Valley startup.

Hal Barron, an American scientist who’s overseen drug development efforts, will hand over the role of chief scientific officer to Glaxo scientist Tony Wood in August, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Barron will remain a non-executive director on the U.K. drugmaker’s board and support R&D, while taking up a new role as CEO of biotech firm Altos Labs, Glaxo said.

The move comes at a pivotal moment for Glaxo as the company prepares to spin-off its consumer business in mid-2022, with the possibility of a sale now on the table after it emerged Unilever Plc has made three bids for the unit in recent months. The company has faced pressure from activist fund Elliott Investment Management LP to improve its performance.

Barron was a key hire by Glaxo CEO Emma Walmsley soon after she took up the helm in 2017 and is highly regarded in scientific circles.

Wood joined Glaxo from Pfizer Inc. in 2017 and has been central to the development of a number of Glaxo’s biggest drugs, including the HIV treatment cabenuva. 

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.