US firm Alexion Pharmaceuticals has named David Brennan and David Anderson as interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer, respectively.
They succeed David Hallal and Vikas Sinha, who both stepped down from their roles amid an investigation into the company’s sales practices for rare blood disease therapy Soliris (eculizumab).
Prior to retiring in 2012, Brennan’s most recent position was chief executive officer of AstraZeneca, which he held for over six years, having worked his way up the UK firm’s ladder since he first joined in 1995 as manager of payroll operations.
Brennan also brings operational experience from Merck & Co, and has been a member of Alexion’s board of directors since 2014.
Meanwhile, Anderson takes on the company’s top finance post on a permanent basis, joining Alexion from Honeywell International where he had been senior vice president and chief financial officer since 2003.
Anderson has previously served as senior vice president and chief financial officer of ITT Industries, an engineering manufacturing company, and also held the same title at Newport News Shipbuilding.
Doug Norby, lead independent director at Alexion, said: “Both David Brennan and Dave Anderson are highly experienced executives who bring outstanding leadership skills, valuable expertise, and global perspective, making them well-suited to lead Alexion as we embark on our next exciting phase of growth.
“David Brennan is an extremely talented and seasoned pharmaceutical chief executive who has a deep understanding of Alexion based on his work on our board. We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber guide us during this transition.
“We are also delighted that Dave Anderson is joining Alexion as our new chief financial officer. Dave has distinguished himself over his career as one of the most experienced and well-respected financial executives across industries. We welcome Dave to his new role and look forward to his leadership.”