Takeda Pharmaceuticals has appointed Giles Platford head of commercial operations, emerging markets with effect from 1 April.
Platford, who will report to chief operating officer Christopher Weber in his new role, joined Takeda in 2009 and, pre-promotion, was head of the Middle East, Turkey, Africa (META) region.
Prior to this he was general manager of Takeda Brazil, leading the acquisition of Multilab, a mid-sized company focused on branded generics and over-the-counter (OTC) products. The acquisition made Takeda one of the top 10 pharmaceutical groups in Brazil.
Before joining Takeda, Platford spent eight years in the pharmaceutical industry in Asia Pacific, in various business development, commercial and general management roles.
In his new role, Platford will be responsible for leading the continued expansion of Takeda’s commercial activities in the META region, which comprises Russia-CIS, Latin America, Middle East/Africa and South Asia.
“Emerging markets are a key growth driver as we continue to launch new products and expand our geographic footprint. Each market has its own features however, so Takeda has adopted a tailored ‘market-specific’ portfolio approach,” Platford told PMLiVE.
“Takeda has one of the richest pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry today, and I am looking forward to further diversifying our offering of medicines to address the medical needs of patients across emerging markets.”