Asia Executives On The Move: Merck, Novo Nordisk, Ascentage
Executive Summary
Merck China R&D head leaving after overseeing several high-profile drug approvals, while Novo Nordisk China's marketing head will lead the firm's operations in Oceania.
Merck & Co. Inc.'s R&D head in China, Zhenqin Li, is leaving to pursue opportunities outside the company effective Feb. 28, announced the US firm, which operates as Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd. outside North America.
Li graduated from the China University of Science and Technology and obtained his PhD in Biostatistics from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, US. Prior to joining MSD China, he was the head of R&D and clinical study for Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. China.
During Li's time as general manager of MSD China R&D Co., the US drug maker established a local R&D center in Beijing with over 600 staff. Under his watch, a flurry of new products gained local approvals including immuno-oncology heavyweight Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the HPV 9 vaccine Gardasil.
Novo Nordisk AS's marketing vice president for the China region Jeppe Theisen will depart to take up a new position in Australia, becoming the general manager for Novo Nordisk Oceania from May.
Theisen assumed his current position in July 2016, after serving as the GM for the Danish diabetes specialist in The Philippines. Prior to Novo, he worked at AstraZeneca PLC for eight years in Sweden and Denmark.
Suzhou-based Ascentage Pharma Group Corp. Ltd. has appointed Jeff Kmetz as chief business officer to oversee overall commercial operations and business development, reporting to CEO Dajun Yang. Prior to Ascentage, Kmetz had over two decades' experience in the pharma and biotech sector, and has been chief commercial officer for Pulse Biosciences Inc. and before that worked at Pharmacyclics Inc. and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
These recent moves suggest that more Chinese biotechs are snatching up business talent around the world as they enter the commercial stage with their new products.
GSK Japan, Torii
GlaxoSmithKline KK Japan chairman Philippe Fauchet has resigned from the position, effective Feb. 13. In February 2018, Paul Lirette, formerly president of GSK Canada Pharmaceuticals, became the new president for GSK Japan and Fauchet took the chairman's position to support him.
Also in Japan, Torii Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., majority owned by Japan Tobacco Inc., has appointed Goichi Matsuda as its new president, effective March 26. Matsuda is currently the director for business planning and pharmaceutical marketing at the company, a position he took in 2017, and before that was in charge of the beverage business at Japan Tobacco. Torii president Shoichiro Takaki will retire on the same day.
From the editors of PharmAsia News.