Valeant Announces Changes To Executive Management Team

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International is undergoing a series of leadership and organizational changes.

Effective August 8, 2016, Christina Ackermann has been named executive vice president and general counsel of Valeant, reporting directly to CEO Joseph C. Papa. Ackermann is an experienced counselor with many years of pharmaceutical industry experience. For the past 14 years, she has served in various legal roles at the Novartis group of companies, most recently as senior vice president, general counsel for Alcon. She succeeds Robert Chai-Onn, who will be leaving Valeant after a transition period.

Scott Hirsch has been appointed senior vice president of business strategy and communications. Hirsch is a seasoned investment professional with much knowledge of the specialty pharmaceutical industry. He joins Valeant from Citadel Investment Group, where he oversaw equity investments and risk management decisions within the Health Care sector at Surveyor Capital. Prior to that, he was in the investment banking group of Credit Suisse as the lead equity research analyst covering specialty pharmaceuticals and generics.

Laurie Little, who has led the Investor Relations and Public Relations functions for the past nine years, will be leaving the company in the coming months and that Pavel Mirovsky, president and general manager, Europe will retire later this year.

Additionally, a series of changes and promotions will expand the roles of the following senior leaders:

  • Dr. Ari Kellen will serve as EVP and Company Group Chairman, and will lead the Bausch & Lomb business.
  • Anne Whitaker will serve as EVP and Company Group Chairman, leading branded pharmaceuticals businesses, including Salix, Dermatology, Dendreon, Orapharma and Women’s Health, as well as Canada and U.S. Market Access and Commercial Services.
  • Tom Appio will serve as EVP and Company Group Chairman, and will lead all of Valeant’s markets outside the U.S. and Canada.

The Executive Committee has seen an expansion as well, with Papa adding leaders from several business and functional areas of the company, all of whom will report directly to him:

  • Dennis Asharin, SVP, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, who will assume responsibility for these functions globally
  • Joe Gordon, SVP and general manager, Consumer Business
  • Barbara Purcell, general manager, Neuro and Other, Generics and Obagi
  • Tage Ramakrishna, MD, chief medical officer and president, R&D/Quality, who will continue to lead R&D strategy and efforts across the company
  • Kelly Webber, SVP, Human Resources, who will now be responsible for HR globally
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