SmithKline Beecham Names Howard Pien President, Pharmaceuticals-North America
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Howard Pien, Senior Vice President and Director-Chinas/Korea, has been named President, Pharmaceuticals-North America, SmithKline Beecham (NYSE: SBH) (SB) announced today.
In assuming his North American responsibilities, Pien succeeds Argeris (Jerry) Karabelas, formerly Executive Vice President, Pharmaceuticals. Karabelas has accepted a position at Novartis as Head of its global healthcare business and CEO of Pharmaceuticals.
Pien, whose appointment is effective immediately, has held key positions in SB's pharmaceuticals business in the U.S., the UK, and, most recently, China and Korea. He joined the company in 1991 as Vice President and Director of New Product Development-U.S. The following year, he was appointed Vice
President and Director, Product Marketing-U.S., heading the arthritis, cardiovascular, and vaccine groups. In 1993, he became Vice President and Director, Marketing-U.S., a position that gave him direct responsibility for the marketing of all SB pharmaceuticals in the U.S.
Pien moved to the UK in 1995 to assume the position of Managing Director and Senior Vice President-UK. He assumed his immediate past position with responsibilities in the Far East in 1997.
Prior to joining SB, Pien, 40, worked six years for Abbott Laboratories and five years for Merck & Co. A native of Taiwan, he was educated in the U.S., where he received a BS degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979 and an MBA degree from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1981.
"We welcome Howard back to North America, where he guided the marketing of such successful products as Paxil, whose U.S. sales this year will exceed $1 billion. Both his understanding of the changing U.S. marketplace and his international experience promise continued high success for our pharmaceuticals business in SB's largest market," said Jean-Pierre Garnier, Chief Operating Officer, SB, and President, SB Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Healthcare.
"We thank Jerry for his outstanding contributions to SB, and the leadership he has provided in recent years. We wish him every success as he takes on a new set of challenges." |
