Valeant appoints company group chairman

Fast-growing Canadian pharma company Valeant Pharmaceuticals has appointed Dr Ari Kellen as executive VP and company group chairman.

Dr Kellen joins from McKinsey & Company where he was a senior partner at the consultancy firm's mid-Atlantic office.

He spent 22 years at McKinsey leading a number of a studies for healthcare companies, including corporate strategies for boards and top management teams, business unit strategies for medical device, pharma and biotech, and health care services clients, and regional and country growth strategies.

J Michael Pearson, chairman and CEO of Valeant, said: "Ari's broad experience in developing comprehensive growth strategies for healthcare companies will be invaluable to us as we continue to expand our successful growth trends.

“After having worked with Ari for many years, I know that not only will he fit in well with the rest of the team, but he will be a strong advocate for the long-term shareholder focused culture at Valeant."