J&J: "Well done"... Weldone. Wellcome Gorsky.

Johnson & Johnson said late Tuesday that CEO William Weldon will retire late in April and be replaced by current vice chairman Alex Gorsky.

Gorsky, 51, will officially take over for William Weldon, 63, at the company's annual shareholders' meeting on April 26.

Weldon, who served his entire career at J&J and has been chief executive since 2002, will remain chairman during the transition period and will maintain his position as chairman of the board.

Gorsky currently oversees the company's medical device and diagnostics group, as well as its global supply chain, health care compliance and privacy, and government affairs. He joined the company in 1988 and became president of J&J subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutica in 2001.

In 2003, he was appointed group chairman for the company's pharmaceutical business in Europe, Middle East and Africa. While he temporarily left the company in 2004 to join Novartis, he returned in 2008 as group chairman and worldwide franchise chairman for J&J subsidiary Ethicon.

Prior to his current role, he temporarily served as worldwide chairman of the surgical care group.

"Alex is an experienced, visionary and disciplined leader with more than 20 years of increased and broad-based responsibilities over two separate periods of employment with Johnson & Johnson," Weldon said.

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