Shannon Kelley left French health-care giant Sanofi S.A. in March to become chief compliance officer for a clinical-stage biopharma company whose lone product had yet to hit the market.

But Kelley’s gamble appears to be paying off. West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based Madrigal Pharmaceuticals on Friday announced the health-care industry veteran’s promotion to her first general counsel role, just months after a successful product launch.