News from Merck, BASF and Tenex – People on the move
MSD (known as Merck in the US and Canada) has announced the appointment of Dr. Roger Perlmutter as executive vice president and president of Merck Research Laboratories.
Perlmutter, who spent 11 years at Amgen as executive vice president and head of R&D, will succeed Dr. Peter Kim who retires in August having served in the role since 2003.
Kenneth Frazier, Chairman and CEO of Merck said Perlmutter has “a proven track record of leading large research organizations and delivering a broad and diverse pipeline of medicines.
“I am confident that under Roger’s leadership, Merck will continue to build upon our legacy of translating cutting edge science into medically important products that make a difference for patients.”
Former US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary and four-term Governor of Wisconsin Tommy Thompson has been appointed on to the Board of Directors at Tenex Health, a developer and marketer of therapies for tendon pain.
Thompson, who served in the Bush Administration from 2001-2005 and was a potential Republican Presidential candidate in 2008, has served on a number of healthcare boards since leaving office.
“Governor Thompson’s pedigree and expertise is a perfect fit for our company,” said Tenex CEO and founder Jagi Gill. “Our rapid growth has been directly attributed to the clinically compelling results of our technology that improves the lives of patients suffering from joint pain related to tendon injury.”
BASF has announced that Fried Münstermann (left), President, Regional Functions and Chief Financial Officer for BASF Corporation, will become President of BASF’s Global Procurement Competence Center in Ludwigshafen, Germany, effective from August, succeeding Hartwig Michels.
He will be succeeded by André Becker (right), who is currently serving as Senior Vice President, Global Executive Human Resources.
The new role of Chief Technology Officer at Biotech Company Capricor will be filled by Dr. Anthony Davies.
Having over 20 years of experience in the biotech industry at companies - including Serologicals Corporation, Velico Medical (formerly ZymeQuest) and Onyx Pharmaceuticals - Davies will be responsible for the manufacturing, development and expansion of Capricor’s portfolio.
Capricor CEO Dr. Linda Marbán said Davies is an important addition to the senior team. “He brings with him an impressive track record in manufacturing, operational management and commercial development, most recently as Vice President, Product Development for Geron Corporation’s cell therapy programs.”
The Board of Directors of the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida (VGTI Florida) will be boosted by a couple of new members, Robert L. Lord, Jr (left) and Dr. Raymond Schinazi (right).
Senior Vice President, Legal Services and Chief Legal Officer of Martin Health System, Lord was welcomed to the Board by VGTI Florida’s founder and Executive Director Dr. Jay Nelson who said: “He has his finger on the pulse of the local community and will contribute greatly to the progress of VGTI Florida’s research translation into the clinical environments.”
On Schinazi, Nelson said: “As an influential scientist, inventor, educator, and entrepreneur, we’re extremely pleased that Dr. Schinazi is bringing his impressive array of experience to VGTI Florida.”
Michael Tomsicek has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Cubist Pharmaceuticals having worked at the company since last July and will succeed David McGirr.
Mike Bonney, Cubist’s CEO, praised the contributions from McGirr (who will serve as Senior Advisor to the CEO, and retire in 2014) and added: “A critical component of our Building Blocks of Growth strategic goals has been cultivating top talent, and we are very fortunate to have a successor in Michael who can step into this important role and help continue our excellent momentum as we begin our next chapter as a Company.”
Edward Owens has been appointed to the Board of Directors at ironwood Pharmaceuticals having recently retired from his roles of partner, portfolio manager and global industry analyst with Wellington Management Company.
Regarding the appointment, Peter Hecht, CEO of Ironwood said “Ed has gained a unique perspective on how to optimally allocate capital, create value for shareholders and build and run successful businesses based on nearly four decades of outstanding performance investing in healthcare companies.”
