Moving from an engineer to a CEO is not an easy route, Lechleiter said, admitting that the greatest challenge is "you have to learn that you really get results through people".

"When I worked in the lab, whatever results I got were on the basis of work that I did. When you become a manager you have to learn that what is important is to help other people get results. That's an important transition," he said.

Now at Lilly, 13 people directly report to Lechleiter - a diversified team with lots of opinions on any subject. Thorough discussions, challenges and debates, then agreement is the usual procedure.

"Lilly is very much a consensus-driven company," he said, adding that scientific methods help him be a more effective leader in the company.

"As the new VP of corporate and government affairs for Lilly China, I have found it so encouraging to work with John (Lechleiter) during his China trip (in early March)," said Vivien Chen, vice-president of Lilly China.

During the course of one week, Chen's team organized a total of 15 meetings, both internally and externally, for the global CEO, who was able to engage all of them without much of a break in between.

"John impressed me deeply with his high level of physical energy, his love of work and his strong passion for learning about China and engaging with stakeholders. He is always very punctual for meetings," said Chen.

Lechleiter believes, despite various difficulties, China is the most promising market for Lilly.