Merck KGaA appoints new chief information officer

James Stewart has been appointed chief information officer at Merck KGaA to replace Frédéric Wohlwend on October 1, 2013.

The appointment is a promotion for Stewart who is current head of the strategy realisation office at Merck KGaA's pharma division Merck Serono.

His new position will see him take on a wider set of responsibilities, leading the entire Merck KGaA group's efforts in information technology.

“We thank Frédéric Wohlwend for his many years of service to our company in various leadership positions and we regret his decision to leave Merck,” said executive board member Kai Beckmann of the previous chief information officer who leaves after just two years in his last role company.

Beckmann added: “However, we are pleased to have appointed James Stewart, a highly qualified and experienced manager, to succeed him.”

Stewart's experience in the pharma industry includes more than 20 years at US pharma company Merck & Co, which he joined in 1984 in human resources.

During his time at Merck & Co, he worked his way up the ranks, moving to Europe in 2001 to take on the role of executive director and international chief information for EMEA, Canada, Latin America and Asia- Pacific.

In 2009, he was appointed VP and programme realisations officer within in the emerging markets business unit of Merck & Co before leaving to join Merck Serono in 2011.