Merck announces new biopharma heads for North America and China

Gary Zieziula to head biopharma business in North America and Marc Horn to lead biopharma business in China.

Gary Zieziula (61) has been appointed President and Managing Director of the biopharma business in the US and Canada, based in Rockland, Massachusetts, US, with immediate effect. In his role, he will be responsible for all areas of the company’s business including driving overall strategic direction and maximizing growth across the region.

Zieziula joined Merck in 2014 as Chief Commercial Officer in the US, having spent more than 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry, including senior level positions at MSD, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Roche and Amag Pharmaceuticals. Zieziula holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and an MBA from Canisius College.

“As we look to grow our biopharma business in North America, including our progress in oncology and immuno-oncology, Gary’s vision, experience and customer-centric approach are critical to lead the company forward,” said Simon Sturge, Chief Operating Officer at the Healthcare business of Merck, whom Zieziula will report to Zieziula’s predecessor, Paris Panayiotopoulos, accepted a new position outside of Merck at the end of last year.

In the first 9 months of 2015 net sales of Merck in North America amounted to € 1.9 billion, thereby accounting for 20% of Group sales. Healthcare sales in this region totalled € 1.1 billion in the first 9 months of 2015. In the first 9 months of 2015 Healthcare sales in North America represented two-thirds of Merck’s total sales in the region.

Marc Horn (41) will head the biopharma business of Merck in China as of 1 April 2016, as a Managing Director based in Beijing. He is currently the regional Chief Financial Officer of Merck responsible for Eastern Asia, comprising China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, for the three business sectors Healthcare, Life Science and Performance Materials.

Horn has more than 16 years of management experience in finance in the pharmaceuticals and chemicals industry, including positions at Bayer and Lanxess in Germany, China and Singapore. Horn graduated from Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg, Germany, and University of Maastricht, Netherlands, with a Master’s degree in International Business Administration.

Allan Gabor, Mark Horn’s predecessor, has been promoted to President of the AsianPacific region for Merck’s biopharma business. In his new position, Horn will report to Gabor.

China is of importance to Merck currently and in future. Among others the company is building a €80 million (650 million Yuan) pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in the Nantong Economical Technological Development Area (NETDA), in the Greater Shanghai region (Yangtze River Delta area). Completion of the facility, which will focus on bulk production and packaging of Glucophage, Concor and Euthyrox, is scheduled for 2016, with commercial production starting in 2017.

With an organic increase of 5.1%, sales in the Asia-Pacific region, where China is included, amounted to €3.1 billion in the months January to September 2015.

Representing a share of 33% of Group net sales, Asia-Pacific therefore became the Group’s top-selling region. Healthcare sales from January to September 2015 in the Asia-Pacific region reached around €1 billion, representing one-third of group sales in this region.