Dr Tim Harrison has joined CSS as vice president of r&d. Recipient of the 2004 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award as part of the team which identified the Substance P antagonist Emend - now marketed for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea - Harrison has more than 20 years" experience in synthetic organic chemistry, most recently as director of the medicinal chemistry department at Merck Sharp and Dohme.
Changes in Novo Nordisk's executive management have seen the company's number of executives reduced from six to five, with executive vice president Lars Almblom Jorgensen leaving by mutual agreement. His areas of responsibility - quality, regulatory affairs and business development - will be taken over by Lise Kingo, Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen and Jesper Brandgaard respectively.
Dr Xavier Frapaise has been appointed to the position of chief medical officer at Ocera Therapeutics. He joins the biopharmaceutical company from TAP Pharmaceutical Products, where he held the positions of vice president of r&d and corporate officer. A physician by training, Frapaise has held management positions at Laboratoire Choay, Sanofi International, Bayer Pharma and Abbott International among others.
Chemicals Northwest in the UK has made Dr Chris Ashcroft its new general manager. With experience in manufacturing and operations management, mainly in Northwestern locations, Ashcroft joins the company from Cleanaway, where he managed a chemical high temperature incineration plant, guiding it through several major SHE and waste regulation changes.
Carol Boyer-Spooner, former chief executive of Chemicals Northwest, will remain executive chair and take up the role of interim ceo for the Chemistry Innovation Knowledge Transfer Network.
Following his appointment as chairman designate on 1 January 2006, Sir John Banham took up the role of chairman of Johnson Matthey on 1 April. His appointment follows the retirement of Michael Miles, who served as chairman for eight years.
Thomas Swan & Co., an independent UK-based performance and fine chemicals company, has a new managing director, Harry Swan. The great-grandson of the company's founder, Swan takes over from Ian Bonas, who has been appointed deputy chairman of the board.