Hikal, Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) and PRA International - People on the move
International have all had people on the move in the world of
pharmaceutical outsourcing.
Indian firm Hikal has announced the appointment of Dr Helmut Rupp as president of its new contract R&D subsidiary Hikal Technologies. The newly-created company is setting up a 70,000 sq. ft R&D facility in Pune, India where it will employ approximately 100 scientists in the first phase and serve as a hub for contract research support services, the firm said. It will provide chemical contract research services for clients in the pharmaceuticals, biotech and specialty chemical industries. Special emphasis will be given to safety and scalability of processes provided, in order to facilitate smooth transfer to piloting and manufacturing operations, said Hikal. Dr. Rupp has occupied various positions in pharmaceutical companies including Swiss contract manufacturer Lonza and Germany-based Allessa Chemie. Meanwhile, Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) has named Daniel Darazsdi chief financial officer last week, effective 1 October. Darazsdi previously served as CFO of Honeywell International, a $34bn diversified technology and manufacturing company for which he worked for 25 years, where he provided finance, information technology and business development leadership for Honeywell's performance polymers strategic business unit. Commenting on his appointment, the contract research organisation's (CRO) chief executive Fred Eshelman said: "Dan Darazsdi is a seasoned professional whose career portfolio includes extensive experience in business unit finance, corporate treasury and international management." In other news, PRA International has recently appointed Dr Susan Stansfield as executive vice president with responsibility for product registration activities in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific. David Dockhorn, executive vice president, will continue to be in charge of such operations for the Americas. "The appointment of an executive dedicated to product registration activities in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific reflects the growing scale of our international operations and the additional opportunities we have to continue growing this part of our business," said Terrance Bieker, chief executive of PRA International. Dr Stansfield joins PRA from PPD where she most recently served as senior vice president of project management and clinical operations, Europe. In her six years at PPD, Stansfield built her organisation from 250 people to more than 1,750 people operating in 50 countries, while directing the successful execution of client projects and developing new business opportunities, PRA said. Stansfield has also held senior management positions at Quintiles and Innovex, where she was responsible for business process improvement and managing full-service clinical research projects.
