James Swanson

Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer Johnson & Johnson

Last Reviewed: October 3, 2026

Executive Summary

James Swanson has been Chief Information Officer of Johnson & Johnson since 2019 and an executive vice president on its executive committee since 2022. He leads a technology organization of more than 4,000 people in 50 countries that supports J&J’s 135,000-plus employees, and the company’s push to scale artificial intelligence across the business. He started as a bench scientist at SmithKline Beecham before moving into IT, and has been CIO at J&J’s pharmaceutical business, Monsanto and Bayer Crop Science, with a stint leading R&D and commercial IT at Merck. A scientist by training who returned to J&J after 14 years away, he now runs the technology of the company where he first became a CIO.

Career Highlights

• Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer of Johnson & Johnson; CIO since 2019 and executive committee member since 2022.
• CIO and Head of Digital Transformation at Bayer Crop Science.
• Chief Information Officer of Monsanto for five years.
• Vice President and CIO of J&J Pharmaceutical, focused on R&D technology.

Professional Journey

Swanson earned a bachelor’s degree in bioscience and biotechnology and a master’s in computer science at Drexel University. He began his career as a bench scientist at SmithKline Beecham before moving into information technology, and has worked in the United Kingdom and Germany, according to his J&J biography.

He first joined Johnson & Johnson in 1996, rising through project manager and IT director roles to vice president and chief information officer for the pharmaceuticals business, a role focused on research and development technology. He later led research and commercial IT organizations at Merck.

He was chief information officer of Monsanto for five years before its acquisition by Bayer, and then CIO and head of digital transformation at Bayer Crop Science and a member of its executive leadership team.

He rejoined J&J as chief information officer in 2019 and was named executive vice president and a member of the executive committee in 2022. He leads more than 4,000 technology professionals in 50 countries, overseeing digital and AI transformation with a focus on enterprise productivity and critical business processes. Outside the company he co-chairs the advisory council of Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business and is a member of the Data & Trust Alliance, a cross-industry group on responsible data and AI practices. In his own time, his biography says, he runs, bikes, skis, scuba dives and boats.

He is one of two current executive committee members, with Vanessa Broadhurst, who left J&J and later returned; in his case the gap ran from 2005 to 2019.

Education

Drexel University

Bachelor’s degree, Bioscience and Biotechnology

Drexel University

Master’s degree, Computer Science