Merck KGaA has announced several changes in senior management positions across the group, including the departure of global head of R&D, Annalisa Jenkins.
The company did not provide a reason for the loss of Jenkins (pictured), although she recently took up the post of chair of the board of TransCelerate BioPharma.
Her role will be taken over on an interim basis by CEO of the company’s Merck Serono division, Belén Garijo, until a permanent successor is found.
In addition, Udit Batra leaves his role as head of consumer health to become president and CEO of Merck Millipore, the company’s biomanufacturing and life sciences research division.
Batra succeeds Robert Yates who led the integration of Millipore into Merck following the companies’ decision to merge.
Replacing Batra as head of consumer health is Uta Kemmerich-Keil who is the current CEO of Merck’s allergy business Allergopharma. In turn, Kemmerich-Keil is succeeded in her role by Marco Linari, the current commercial lead for the implementation of the operating model within Merck Millipore.
Karl-Ludwig Kley, chairman of the executive board, said: “Robert Yates and Annalisa Jenkins both played key roles in driving the change process in their respective areas of responsibility and I want to thank them personally for their contributions to Merck.”