Eli Lilly CFO resigns after ‘inappropriate’ communications with employees

The drug company said an independent investigation was recently launched after it was “made aware of allegations of an inappropriate personal relationship” between Smiley and an employee. “The investigation revealed consensual but inappropriate personal communications with more than one employee and behavior that Lilly management believed showed poor judgment on the part of Mr. Smiley,” the company said in a statement to CNN Business.

Eli Lilly did not provide details on the nature of the relationship or the communications.

“Lilly holds all employees accountable to its core values ​​and firmly believes its leaders bear an even greater burden in ensuring that these values ​​are upheld,” the company said in a statement Tuesday. “Mr. Smiley did not meet this standard.”

Smiley is replaced by Anat Ashkenazi, a 20-year veteran of the company who was most recently vice president of Lilly Research Laboratories.