June 6, 2007

Merial appoints new CEO

Animal health firm Merial Ltd has chosen Jose Barella as its new chief executive officer, succeeding Jerry Belle as Executive Chairman. The appointment took effect on June 1.

Barella has been the chief operating officer and head of business operations for Merial since 2005, during which time he has managed the company's commercial activities globally, including sales and marketing for both the companion animal and production animal businesses, and the commercial functions that support them. He also heads global supply chain.

Before joining Merial, Barella was the head of Aventis Environmental Science (AES), where he managed the integration of all Rhone-Poulenc and AgroEvo assets to form AES, part of Aventis CropScience.

He was also the commercial manager for Rhone-Poulenc Agriculture, Ltd. for UK and Ireland, and global product manager for a variety of Rhone-Poulenc agricultural products.

"We are delighted that Jose has agreed to lead Merial," said Judy Lewent, Merck's chief financial officer and co-chair of Merial's board of directors. "Jose's broad involvement in every aspect of the organization uniquely qualifies him to implement Merial's board-approved strategy."

Olivier Jacquesson, of Sanofi-Aventis and also co-chair of the Merial board, said: "This appointment shows strong support by both shareholders for Merial and is an endorsement of continuity with the Company's strategy."