Steve Benz is the Corporate Vice President Legal and General Counsel since August 2022.  In this role, Steve leads the Novo Nordisk Inc. (NNI) legal team, which advises NNI on all the legal requirements regulating the Company. The team also protects the Company in all forms of litigation, including Intellectual Property matters. 

Steve joined NNI in January of 2021 and has served as Chief Counsel – Pricing, Market Access, and Government Affairs, where the team counsels NNI on the Company’s efforts to make its products available in the US healthcare marketplace for the patients who need them. 

Steve has over 20 years of experience providing legal advice to pharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining NNI, he worked at the law firm, Arnold & Porter, for 3 years - counseling diverse pharmaceutical clients across a broad variety of issues including commercialization, patient support and other contracting and access matters. Before his time at Arnold & Porter, Steve spent 18 years within the legal organization at Eli Lilly & Company, including 14 years leading, and working on, the company’s legal team supporting Market Access, Government Affairs, and select therapeutic areas. He also led the company’s Global Pricing legal team and for four years, served as the Global Head of Litigation.

Before starting his Legal career, Steve served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 1985 to 1991. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia in 1994 and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kentucky in 1985. 

Steve is involved in working for numerous non-profits, including the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, a national advocacy organization that seeks to end veteran homelessness in the US.