Sanofi Pasteur and Merck Vaccines appoint David Khougazian as President of Sanofi Pasteur MSD
Lyon, France- June 29, 2015/PRNewswire - MSD, known as Merck in the United States and Canada (NYSE: MRK) and Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), the two partner companies in Sanofi Pasteur MSD, announce today the appointment of David Khougazian as president of Sanofi Pasteur MSD.
On July 1, Khougazian will join Sanofi Pasteur MSD and effective September 1, will succeed Dr. Jean-Paul Kress, who led the company since July 2011. Kress will leave Sanofi Pasteur MSD to join the Sanofi group.
“Sanofi Pasteur MSD is a major player in the European vaccine market. Under Jean-Paul’s tenure, the company launched Hexyon and Zostavax and prepared the arrival of two major new products which will fuel our joint-venture’s growth. David’s appointment marks a new phase in our development in Western Europe, a challenging and strategic region for our vaccines activity,” said Olivier Charmeil, president and CEO of Sanofi Pasteur. “His knowledge of European markets and external stakeholders will be strong assets to grow Sanofi Pasteur MSD’s positions in Europe.”
“David’s leadership skills and expertise in global strategy and health policy make him uniquely suited to lead Sanofi Pasteur MSD in Europe,” commented Jacques Cholat, president, Merck Vaccines. “His experience will help us deliver important vaccines to improve the health of European populations.”
Totally dedicated to vaccine and Europe, Sanofi Pasteur MSD combines the innovation capabilities from two major global leaders to the benefit of its customers and offers the broadest range of vaccines. Among others, the company is the European leader for flu vaccines and has brought innovative vaccines to Europe: Gardasil, the first vaccines to help prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) diseases, including cervical cancer, Hexyon, the only fully liquid hexavalent pediatric combination vaccine available in the market, as well as Zostavax, a vaccine to help prevent Shingles in elderly people.
David Khougazian’s biography
A French citizen, David Khougazian is an engineer graduated from the ENSAE, the national aeronautical and space engineering school, and holds an MBA from the Collège des Ingénieurs. Prior to his appointment, David Khougazian served as Sanofi CEO Chief of Staff. In this position since 2011, he worked closely supporting the CEO and the Sanofi Executive Committee in transforming the company and delivering on its development agenda. As part of his role, he assumed responsibility for various global strategic and organizational projects, supported the post-acquisition integration of Genzyme Inc., led the global health policy effort and managed interactions with multiple external stakeholders. Former positions include various business operations’ positions in sales and marketing and as General Manager. David joined Rhône-Poulenc in 1997 where he held several positions in Finance and Corporate Development and participated in the creation of Aventis, a combination with Hoechst AG. He also served as Vice President Mergers & Acquisitions for Aventis. David started his career in 1992 at CCF, the fourth largest French bank.
About Sanofi Pasteur MSD
Sanofi Pasteur MSD is a European joint venture formed between Sanofi Pasteur (the vaccine division of Sanofi) and Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada). Combining innovation and expertise, Sanofi Pasteur MSD is the only European pharmaceutical company dedicated exclusively to the distribution of vaccines. Sanofi Pasteur MSD makes use of the combined expertise resulting from Sanofi Pasteur and Merck’s research to focus on the development of new vaccines in Europe in order to produce the most effective, most acceptable and better tolerated vaccines.
For more information, visit www.spmsd.com
Contacts:
Sanofi Pasteur MSD
Andrea Rappagliosi
Tel: +33 4 37 28 41 71
[email protected]
FleishmanHillard
Marion Cocherel
Tel: +33 1 47 42 91 18
Mob: +33 6 8 56 85 38
[email protected]
