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Three members of the Executive Committee of Novartis to leave company, following completion of portfolio transactions expected to close in first half 2015
Basel, October 8, 2014 - Novartis confirmed today that following completion of the transactions with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) in the coming months, that the three business leaders of the Novartis divisions at the center of the transaction will leave the Executive Committee of Novartis (ECN). The expected changes to the ECN are subject to the closing of the transactions announced on April 22nd 2014 - Novartis expects the transaction with GSK to be completed in the first half of 2015, and the transaction with Eli Lilly for its Animal Health Business to close in the first quarter of 2015.
George Gunn, currently Division Head, Novartis Animal Health, will reach his contractual retirement age in July 2015 and will retire from Novartis. Upon closing of the Animal Health transaction with Lilly he will leave the ECN.
Brian McNamara, currently Division Head, Novartis OTC, will transition to GSK as Head of Americas and Europe for the consumer health businesses, reporting to the President of GSK Consumer Healthcare, effective at closing of the transaction.
Andrin Oswald, currently Division Head, Novartis Vaccines, will be leaving Novartis to pursue other opportunities following closing of the transaction with GSK.
Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by words such as "expected," "to leave," "will," "expects," "effective," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding the potential completion of the announced transactions with GSK and Eli Lilly, or regarding the potential future make-up of the ECN. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the proposed transactions will be completed in the expected form or within the expected time frame or at all. Neither can there be any guarantee that the announced changes in the make-up of the ECN will take place at all, or at any particular time. In particular, management`s expectations could be affected by, among other things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally, including an unexpected failure to obtain necessary government approvals for the transactions, or unexpected delays in obtaining such approvals; the potential that GSK`s shareholders may not approve the GSK transaction; general economic and industry conditions, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG`s current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.