MERCK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Executive Vice President
Betty Larson joined the company in April 2024 as the executive vice president and chief human resources officer. She is responsible for global human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion for the company.
She has extensive domain expertise with more than two decades in the health care industry. She most recently served as chief people officer of GE HealthCare, a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics and digital solutions innovator. She provided strategy and leadership for GE HealthCare's human resources and corporate marketing and communications teams.
Betty also served as executive vice president and chief human resources officer of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) from 2018 to 2022, a global medical technology company, where work responsibilities also included strategy and leadership for communications and social investing. Betty joined BD through the acquisition of C.R. Bard Inc., a medtech company focused on vascular, urology and surgical specialty products. She served as C.R. Bard's chief human resources officer responsible for human resources and communications from 2014 until the acquisition in 2017.
Betty spent the first 16 years of her career at Baxter International, a global medtech company. She was in human resources leadership roles of increasing responsibility in their pharmaceuticals, renal therapies, vaccines, bio pharmaceuticals and hospital products businesses.
She is on the board of directors for Baxter Credit Union. She has served on the board of Fortrea, contributing as a member of the nominating, corporate governance and compliance committee. Betty also served on the board for the Overlook Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises funds to support the New Jersey-based Overlook Medical Center in its mission to provide high-quality care to patients. She earned a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Illinois, and a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Executive Vice President
Caroline Litchfield is executive vice president and chief financial officer for Merck, responsible for the company's finance, procurement and real estate operations.
Prior to this role, Caroline served as the company's treasurer, a position that included responsibility for treasury, tax and investor relations. From 2014 to 2018, Caroline led finance for Human Health, the company's largest business, overseeing financial operations and reporting in approximately 100 markets.
Previously, Caroline was the vice president and finance lead for the company's Emerging Markets region when it was established in 2009 following the merger of Merck and Schering-Plough and was instrumental in integrating the two companies. She joined Merck in 1990 in its U.K. business and has held a wide range of positions of increasing responsibility in the company's country, regional and global finance functions.
Caroline received her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Leicester and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Job Titles:
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Chief Marketing Officer, Human Health
Chirfi Guindo is chief marketing officer for Merck. He is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the company's long-term strategy for the Human Health portfolio spanning oncology, vaccines, pharmaceutical and pipeline products.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer
- Member of the Board of Trustees for the Ronald McDonald House of Central & Northern New Jersey
Cristal Downing joined Merck as executive vice president and chief communications & public affairs officer in 2021. In this role, Cristal leads Merck's Corporate Affairs organization and is responsible for the development, advancement and execution of the company's communications, public affairs, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts. Guided by business priorities and dedication to all who depend on the company's lifesaving and life-changing work, Cristal is focused on fostering a deep understanding of Merck's scientific contributions and impact on global health, ensuring public policy priorities stay aligned with business priorities, and enabling strategic engagement and impactful outcomes with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.
Most recently, Cristal was vice president, Communications & Public Affairs, Medical Devices, at Johnson & Johnson, where she fortified and amplified the strategy that conveys how the business is elevating the standard of patient care. Prior to that, she held the role of vice president, Global Finance Communications at Johnson & Johnson, where she partnered with the chief financial officer to implement communications and public affairs strategies that enabled the CFO and CEO strategic platforms.
Cristal also co-led the development and implementation of "Our Race to Health Equity" - Johnson & Johnson's Racial & Social Justice strategy. She has more than 20 years of leadership expertise and capabilities, working in dynamic and complex organizations, including American Express, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo.
Cristal is a member of the board of trustees for the Ronald McDonald House of Central & Northern New Jersey and is affiliated with several key communications associations. Cristal received her bachelor of arts degree in communications from Monmouth University.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Chief Information & Digital Officer
Dave Williams is Merck's chief information and digital officer. Under his direction the technology organization is focused on helping Merck's research, manufacturing and business units develop and leverage digital solutions to serve customers and achieve business value.
Previously, Dave was chief information officer of Merck Animal Health. There he led the development and execution of a digital transformation that deployed several cloud-based platforms and capabilities, resulting in streamlined operations and improved customer engagement.
Prior to that, Dave founded Merck Animal Health Ventures, which brings together capabilities across veterinarians, start-ups, inventors, entrepreneurs, customers and investment partners to develop new solutions that address unmet customer needs. He also led Sure Petcare, a companion-animal portfolio of digital services and solutions within Merck Animal Health, where he had profit-and-loss responsibility.
Earlier in his career, Dave was executive director of enterprise information management at Merck and held several IT leadership roles at Schering-Plough.
Dave currently serves on the board of the National Center for Women in Technology and is a member of the Osage Partners Advisory Council.
He holds a bachelor of science in economics and finance from the University of Scranton.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and President of Merck Research Laboratories
Since joining Merck in 2017, Li has held leadership roles in the translational medicine and discovery functions and was appointed to president, Merck Research Laboratories in January 2021.
Prior to joining Merck, Li held positions of increasing responsibility in translational medical research at the University of Utah. Most recently he served as the H.A. & Edna Benning Professor of Medicine and Cardiology, chief scientific officer, associate vice president and vice dean at the University of Utah Health System. From 2015 to 2016, he also served as interim CEO of Associated Regional University Pathologists, one of the United States' largest clinical reference laboratories. During his tenure at the University of Utah, he co-founded several biotechnology companies based upon research conducted in his laboratory, including Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Hydra Biosciences and Navigen Pharmaceuticals.
Li received his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Chicago and his graduate and clinical training at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Li is a cardiologist, a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.
Dean Li serves as executive vice president and president of Merck Research Laboratories. He leads the company's worldwide human vaccines and therapeutics research and development organization.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
Job Titles:
- Professor of Medicine ( 1997 - 1998 )
- Vice Provost for Research ( 2007 - 2010 )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Inge
Job Titles:
- President, Merck Human Health U.S
Jannie Oosthuizen leads Merck Human Health U.S., which is Merck's largest business globally. He is responsible for P&L, strategy, customer engagement and commercialization in the U.S. for Merck's broad portfolio of human health medicines and vaccines.
Jannie joined the company in 2014 to lead the Human Health oncology business in Asia Pacific and Latin America, then led Merck's business in Japan from 2016 to 2020, and then led Global Marketing for Oncology. In each of these roles, Jannie successfully created and implemented new strategies and innovative commercial models that delivered strong, leveraged growth and established Merck as a leading business in those markets and therapeutic areas.
Jannie has deep experience in a broad range of global markets and therapeutic areas, and in building and leading high-performing teams. Prior to Merck, Jannie spent 20 years at Eli Lilly in a wide range of commercial and marketing roles with increasing responsibility. He began his career with Eli Lilly in 1993 in his home country of South Africa. Jannie is a pharmacist by training and graduated from North-West University in South Africa. He has lived and worked in six countries spanning five continents with his wife and three children.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- General Counsel
Jennifer Zachary joined Merck as executive vice president and general counsel in April 2018. She serves as a legal advisor to the board of directors and company executives, leads the company's office of general counsel and sets the company's global legal strategy. She is also responsible for the company's global safety and environment, and global security functions.
Prior to joining Merck, Jennifer was a partner and associate at the international law firm Covington & Burling, LLP. She practiced in the area of pharmaceutical and medical device regulatory law and advised a wide range of manufacturers and trade associations on compliance with government requirements for the development, manufacture and sale of their products.
Earlier in her career, Jennifer served as an associate chief counsel for enforcement at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and as a special assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
Jennifer serves on the board of directors for REGENXBIO Inc. and is a member of the audit committee. In addition, Jennifer is a board member of Code the Dream, a non-profit organization that teaches software development to youth from diverse, low income backgrounds.
She is a member of the bar associations for the District of Columbia, California and New Jersey. Jennifer holds a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in chemistry from Arizona State University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Jennifer Zachary, Merck's General Counsel, on how we can provide more legal services to those in need
Job Titles:
- President, Human Health
- President, Human Health International
Joseph Romanelli is president, Human Health International for Merck. He has P&L responsibility for Merck's 75-plus markets outside of the U.S. and leads a team of 14,000 colleagues.
From 2021 to mid-2022, Joseph served as chief executive officer of JiXing Pharmaceuticals, a China-based biopharmaceutical company.
Prior to JiXing, Joseph served in a variety of strategic and operational roles with increasing responsibility at Merck and Schering-Plough for 25 years. He led Merck's business in China from 2016 through 2021. During his tenure in China, Merck became the second largest multi-national pharmaceutical company by revenue in the market, as well as the second largest subsidiary for the company globally. Joseph's previous roles at Merck include serving as chief of staff to the president of Human Health and managing the Human Health business for multiple markets in Asia Pacific. In addition, he led the Investor Relations team at Merck.
Joseph received his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and his master's in Business Administration from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Management.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
- Inge G. Thulin
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy Officer
- Executive Vice President
Mike Klobuchar serves as the chief strategy officer for Merck, leading the advancement and execution of the company's strategy. He is also responsible for setting and executing the company's global business development strategies as well as leading the digital, data and IT infrastructure and cybersecurity strategies.
Mike joined Merck Research Laboratories in 1998 and has held a wide range of positions of increasing responsibility in the company's research, manufacturing, commercial planning, finance and strategy organizations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
Dates prior to the merger of Merck & Co., Inc. ("Merck") and Schering-Plough Corporation ("Schering-Plough") on November 3, 2009, reflect membership on the board of legacy Merck (Glocer and Wendell) or legacy Schering-Plough (Russo), as the case may be.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- President
- Executive Vice President and President, Merck Animal Health
Rick DeLuca is executive vice president and president, Animal Health for Merck. Rick has worldwide responsibility for the Animal Health business, a position he has held since 2011. Under Rick's leadership, Merck's Animal Health business has become an industry leader that offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services as well as an extensive suite of digitally connected identification, traceability and monitoring products.
Prior to joining Merck, Rick spent more than two decades in positions of increasing scope and responsibility at Wyeth, including president of Animal Health, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Animal Health, vice president of finance global pharmaceuticals and director audit. He was also a member of Wyeth's executive, operations, law and regulatory and human resources and benefits committees.
Rick was board chairman of Health for Animals, the global animal health industry association, from 2017 to 2020. He is also board chairman of Animal Health Institute, the U.S. animal medicines industry association, a position he has held since 2016. Rick received his B.A. in business administration from Widener University. He is a certified public accountant and certified management accountant.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Board
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Board of Directors
Rob Davis is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Merck.
Previously, Rob served as Merck's president, responsible for the company's operating divisions - Human Health, Animal Health, Manufacturing and Merck Research Laboratories. Prior to that, he was executive vice president, Global Services, and the company's chief financial officer.
Rob joined the company as chief financial officer in 2014 with additional responsibility for real estate operations, corporate strategy and business development. In 2016, his role was expanded to include responsibility for information technology and procurement, forming Global Services. He became president in April 2021, CEO and a member of the board of directors on July 1, 2021, and chairman of the board on December 1, 2022.
Prior to joining Merck, Rob was corporate vice president and president of Baxter's medical products business. During his tenure at Baxter, he held several other positions, including president of Baxter's renal business, chief financial officer and treasurer. Before joining Baxter in 2004, Rob held numerous positions of increasing responsibility over 14 years at Eli Lilly and Company.
Rob serves on the board of directors for Duke Energy Corporation, one of America's largest energy holding companies, and is chair of its finance and risk management committee and a member of the corporate governance committee. In addition, Rob is a board member of Project Hope, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering health care workers to deliver expert care when and where it is needed most. He is also a board member of Catalyst, a global nonprofit that promotes equal access to career opportunities and corporate leadership for women.
Rob received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, his M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management and his bachelor's degree in finance from Miami University.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- President
- Executive Vice President and President, Merck Manufacturing Division
Sanat Chattopadhyay is executive vice president and president, Merck Manufacturing Division. He has responsibility for the company's worldwide manufacturing and supply operations across a global network of sites for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biologics and animal health products.
A proven leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, Sanat joined Merck in November 2009 as senior vice president of global vaccines and sterile manufacturing operations, spearheading the transformation of manufacturing and supply chain to grow and globalize its vaccine business. Under Sanat's leadership, Merck is currently executing significant expansion of its biologics and vaccines manufacturing capacity to reach more patients around the globe.
Before joining Merck, he served as senior vice president, technical operations and product supply, for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, with responsibility for product supply, process development and operational excellence. Previously, he worked at Aventis and its predecessor companies as senior vice president, industrial operations, having served in many positions with increasing responsibilities for global supply chain, technology and manufacturing sites across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
A graduate chemical engineer from Jadavpur University and post-graduate industrial engineer from NITIE, India, Sanat is widely travelled, having lived with his family in five countries across three continents.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director since
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Independent Lead Director
- Independent Lead Director / Director since