James Tyree is executive vice president, Pharmaceutical Products Group. Tyree first joined Abbott from 1978 until 1979 as a business analyst for a year. He rejoined the company in June 1997 and has been in various management positions including divisional vice president and general manager for Abbott's international division in Japan. He recently served as vice president, global licensing/new business development in the Pharmaceutical Products Division and as senior vice president, Pharmaceutical Operations. He assumed his current role in 2007.

Prior to re-joining Abbott in 1997, Tyree was president of Sugen Inc., a biotechnology start-up company and held various leadership positions at other pharmaceutical companies.

He serves on the board of directors for TAP Pharmaceuticals, a joint venture between Abbott and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. He is a member of the advisory boards of the Polsky Center of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago and the Kellogg Center for Biotechnology at Northwestern University. He is a member of Richard M. Daley's Chicago Mayor's Council of Technology Advisors. Formerly chairman, he is also chairman of the board of directors of the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization.

He earned bachelor's degrees in psychology and forensic studies and a master's degree in business administration from Indiana University.