Andrew Witty, GlaxoSmithKline’s incoming chief executive, has a gruelling year ahead of him.

The drug giant’s new 43-year-old head is set to take over at the end of May against a background of weakening profits, increased industry regulation and a big restructuring drive that is expected to lead to the loss of thousands of jobs.

Fortunately, Mr Witty has a proven track record of survival.

He was appointed in October after an unusual nine-month selection process that pitted him against two other strong internal candidates, Chris Viehbacher and David Stout. All three were given special projects to test their leadership and management skills.

The process also included lengthy interviews, advice from consultancy firms and input from employees.

Mr Witty joined Glaxo in 1985 after graduating with a BA in Economics from Nottingham University, and went on to hold various positions in the UK, including director of pharmacy and distribution.

He later served as managing director for Glaxo South Africa and was subsequently area director for South and East Africa.

In 2001 he was made responsible for the company’s operations in Asia Pacific, based in Singapore, where he also served as an economic adviser to the Governor of Guangzhou, in China, and as a board member of the Singapore Economic Development Board. After a stint in the United States, Mr Witty was promoted to president of European pharmaceuticals in 2003.

As chief executive he will face a host of big challenges ranging from a widely expected clampdown on profits earned by big drug companies in the US, easily the world’s largest medicines market, to increased competition from manufacturers of generic drugs and the need to build up GSK’s pipeline of new products.

He will also have to contend with critics who believe that the traditional, vertically integrated Big Pharma business model may be broken.

In addition to his day job, Mr Witty is also a member of the Insead UK Council and the board of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research.

He also sits on the Imperial College Commercialisation Advisory Board and is a member of the London Council for the Advancement of Science and Technology and the UK’s newly created Health Innovation Council.

Married with two children, he enjoys tennis, running and watching rugby and cricket.