Paris, France, July 26, 2007 – Sanofi-aventis announced today the impending retirement of David J. Williams as President and Chief Executive Officer of sanofi pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group.
Williams will relinquish his titles of President and Chief Executive Officer effective August 1, and will continue to serve as chairman of the board of sanofi pasteur until January 16, 2008, which will also mark his 30th anniversary with the company. His successor will be Wayne Pisano, formerly Senior Vice President, Global Commercial Operations and Corporate Strategy.
Pisano has 26 years of extensive experience in Corporate Strategy, commercial operations, public immunization policies, as well as management development and management of partnerships and joint-ventures. He has been with sanofi pasteur since 1997. “I am looking forward to bringing to the market more innovative solutions to public health worldwide while contributing strongly to sanofi-aventis growth,” said Pisano. “After 10 years in sanofi pasteur’s top management team, Wayne Pisano is well prepared to assume the leadership role of sanofi pasteur”, said Gérard Le Fur, CEO of sanofi-aventis.
“Under Dave Williams’ strong leadership, sanofi pasteur has become the global leader in vaccine development, production and sales and provides the broadest range of vaccines available from any one company. As chairman of the board of sanofi pasteur, he will provide the continuing leadership to ensure an effective transition for Wayne Pisano, the company’s incoming President and CEO”, Le Fur continued.
“I’ve been given the unique opportunity to help this company grow from a niche commodity business to a major force in global public health” said Williams. “It has been my good fortune to work in a field I am passionate about, and I look forward to supporting Wayne during the transition process.”
About sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis is one of the world leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, ranking number one in Europe. Backed by a world-class R&D organisation, sanofi-aventis is developing leading positions in seven major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, thrombosis, oncology, metabolic diseases, central nervous system, internal medicine and vaccines. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).
