Bayer names head of US litigation

German life sciences group Bayer has named Pfizer's Malini Moorthy as head of US litigation.

Moorthy succeeds Kaspar Stoffelmayr in heading all major litigation matters in the US for all Bayer's divisions, including Bayer Healthcare and Bayer CropScience. She will report to Lars Benecke, Bayer's general counsel.

In her most recent role Moorthy served as VP and assistant general counsel and head of civil litigation at Pfizer in the US. She spent 10 years at Pfizer in senior legal roles having joined the company in 2004 from law firm Salans.

“As a highly successful and respected lawyer, Malini comes to us with a proven track record in the litigation field,” said Benecke. “She is an impressive leader who will greatly enrich the Bayer legal team."

Moorthy's personal accolades include being named to Inside Counsel magazine's R3-100 List identifying the 100 leading female attorneys most likely to become general counsels within three years.

Before commencing her law career Moorthy served as executive director of Free the Children in Toronto, an international children's organisation dedicated to ending the exploitation of children throughout the world.