Merck Names Sanat Chattopadhyay President of Merck Manufacturing Division; Will Succeed Willie A. Deese Who Will Retire
March 7, 2016 4:30 pm ET
Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada,
today announced the appointment of Sanat Chattopadhyay as executive vice
president and president, Merck Manufacturing Division (MMD), effective
April 1, 2016. Chattopadhyay will succeed Willie A. Deese who will
retire on June 1, 2016 after 12 years with the company.
“With more than 30 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience, Sanat
has a proven track record of commercialization, manufacturing and supply
chain excellence in therapeutic proteins, vaccines and pharmaceuticals.
Under his leadership I am confident that MMD will continue to advance
toward its goal of becoming a world-class supplier,” said Kenneth C.
Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck.
Chattopadhyay joined Merck in 2009 and currently serves as senior vice
president of Global Manufacturing Operations (Human Health). He was
instrumental in transforming Merck Vaccines’ manufacturing and supply to
grow and globalize the company’s vaccines business. Chattopadhyay also
played a key part in leading the company’s launch of KEYTRUDA
(pembrolizumab) in record time by mobilizing a cross-divisional effort
to overcome commercialization and supply constraints.
Deese joined Merck in 2004 to lead the global procurement team in MMD.
In 2005, he was promoted to president of MMD and joined the company’s
executive committee. Among his many accomplishments as president of MMD
was the “Target ’15” strategy, a five-year program that improved both
operational efficiencies in manufacturing and financial results.
Additionally, Deese led the company’s multi-year, strategic initiative
to sharpen its commercial and research and development focus, redesign
its operating model and reduce its cost base. The initiative succeeded
in exceeding its goal by the end of 2015 of realizing $2.5 billion in
annual net cost savings versus 2012.
“Under Willie’s leadership, we significantly improved our ability to
serve patients and customers globally and transformed our operating
model,” said Frazier. “I would like to thank Willie for his unwavering
focus on high performance, safety, compliance, and above all, customers
and patients.”
About Merck
Today’s Merck is a global health care leader working to help the world
be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada.
Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and
animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than
140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also
demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through
far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information,
visit www.merck.com
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“company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of
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by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development,
including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to
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Merck
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