Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced that it is strengthening its executive management team with two appointments. Dr Belén Garijo has been appointed chief operating officer, effective September 1, 2011. Dr Annalisa Jenkins has been appointed global head of drug development & medical, effective September 5, 2011. In their newly created positions, both Belén Garijo and Annalisa Jenkins will be based in Geneva and report directly to Dr Stefan Oschmann, president of Merck Serono.

Belén Garijo joins Merck Serono from Sanofi, where she was senior vice president, Global Operations Region Europe. Annalisa Jenkins joins from Bristol-Myers Squibb, where she was senior vice president, global medical.

“I am very pleased to have Belén and Annalisa onboard at this important time for Merck Serono as we seek to adapt our organization to the challenges the pharmaceutical industry are facing,” said Stefan Oschmann. “In joining our Executive Management Board, Belén and Annalisa will bring extensive international experience in the pharmaceutical industry to lead and drive our organization through changes aimed to ensure sustained success.”

As chief operating officer, Belén Garijo will have responsibility for worldwide commercial operations and marketing. The primary purpose of her role is to define a highly competitive commercial and marketing strategy to strengthen Merck Serono’s product brands and lead its global business to profitable growth across all therapeutic areas. One of her top priorities at Merck Serono will be to define the future commercial & marketing organizational structure and efficient processes to drive the successful implementation of the business strategy.

A new organizational structure for research and development (R&D) will be effective when Annalisa Jenkins joins Merck Serono. Two dedicated groups, focusing on different stages of pharmaceutical innovation (pre- and post- proof of concept), will be created as a first step in redesigning Merck Serono’s R&D model: The Global Research & Early Development Group, headed by Dr Bernhard Kirschbaum, will include discovery, research and early clinical development, through to proof of concept; The Global Drug Development & Medical Group, headed by Annalisa Jenkins, will focus on full clinical development, medical life-cycle management activities and medical, including regulatory and safety functions.

A key priority for Bernhard Kirschbaum and Annalisa Jenkins will be defining the structures and processes of the new R&D organization, with the goal of simplifying the organizational structure, governance and decision-making processes. The new organizational structure for R&D is expected to foster agility, creativity and entrepreneurship and to allow a more efficient use of resources, with the ultimate goal of delivering innovative medicines that address the unmet needs of patients.

Merck Serono is the biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a global pharmaceutical and chemical company. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines of both chemical and biological origin in specialist indications.