Davis took over as CEO of Merck in July, when Kenneth Frazier retired from the post. He joined the company as CFO in 2014 and two years later took on oversight of Merck’s global support functions, which encompass corporate business development, investor relations, information technology, procurement, real estate operations, and corporate strategy. Davis previously spent 14 years at Eli Lily & Co. and held several executive positions at Baxter.

He’ll draw on that breadth of experience in leading Merck through the latter stages of the pandemic and then beyond. While the company had developed a solid reputation in responding to public health crises, it was relegated to a support role in the production of COVID-19 vaccines. Merck abandoned its own vaccine research after unsuccessful clinical trials and offered to help its rivals manufacture their shots.

But Davis also has a win under his belt to build on. Merck’s antiviral molnupiravir drug has shown promise in treating COVID symptoms – the company said it cut the rate of hospitalizations and deaths in half among high-risk patients who took it early in their infections. And Merck generated some goodwill when it allowed the drug to be made widely and cheaply through an agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool.

Merck arguably remains a company in transition, with a new CEO and the recently completed spinoff of its reproductive health, biosimilars and other businesses into Organon. And the company is integrating its $11 billion Acceleron Pharma acquisition. So every move Davis makes will be closely watched.