Besufekad Alemayehu, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President of Digital Manufacturing and Supply, Merck; Winner of the 2025 Manufacturing Leader of the Year

Besufekad (Besu) Alemayehu, PhD, is Senior Vice President and Leader of the Digital Manufacturing and Supply organization (Digital MMD), leading global digital transformation to unify digital, technology, manufacturing, and business processes. He reports to both the Chief Information and Digital Officer and the Executive Vice President and President of the Merck Manufacturing Division and serves on their leadership teams. With over 20 years of biopharmaceutical and biotechnology experience, he is an expert in digital strategy, advanced manufacturing technologies, and operational excellence, is an electrical engineer by training, and holds a Master of Science and a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University.