EMD Serono

Fereydoun Firouz has resigned from his position as president and chief executive officer of EMD Serono, Inc., an affiliate of Merck KGaA. Mr. Firouz has decided to pursue other professional opportunities. James Hoyes, who is currently chief commercial officer at EMD Serono, will serve as acting head an interim basis.

Mr. Firouz began his career with Serono in 1989 as a Government Affairs Associate in the company’s Washington, DC office, progressing into positions of increasing responsibility before taking the role of president and chief executive officer of U.S. operations in March 2003. During his tenure Mr. Firouz tripled the revenues and capabilities of the U.S. organization.

“We would like to thank Fereydoun for his leadership and contributions to the company over the last two decades,” said Stefan Oschmann, president of Merck Serono and a member of the executive board of Merck KGaA. “Fereydoun’s vision has been instrumental in helping us to build a solid U.S. organization, which is well positioned to continue its successful growth in the future.”

Mr. Hoyes has been with the organization for seven years, previously serving as executive vice president of Neurology before moving into his current role. He has more than 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, holding senior positions at Elan, Sanofi-Synthelabo, Sanofi, and Sterling Drug.