Menarini Board of Directors welcomes independent member, Juerg Witmer

Florence, February 18, 2013. The shareholders meeting of Menarini IFR was held today for the renewal of its Board of Directors. In addition to Lucia Aleotti and Alberto Giovanni Aleotti, appointed President and Vice President in representation of the ownership, for the first time an independent non-executive director joins the board: Juerg Witmer, a professional with significant international standing and vast experience in the pharmaceutical industry as well as others.

Dr. Witmer began his career at Roche, where after having served as assistant to the CEO, he acquired valuable knowledge of the Far East markets, spending six years in Hong Kong, first as Marketing Manager and then as General Manager of China.
In 1999 he joined the Givaudan Group, world leader in the fragrance and flavor sector, first as CEO and then as non-executive Chairman (current position). Dr. Witmer is also Vice Chairman of Syngenta (one of the main players in the agri-industry worldwide), and member of the Board of Zuellig, Hong Kong, which is one of the most important pharmaceutical distributors in Asia.

"The addition of Dr. Witmer to the Board of Directors underlines the Menarini Group’s projection towards Asia Pacific, one of the fastest growing areas in the world, where just over one year ago we acquired the Invida Group in 13 countries,” said Lucia Aleotti. “Also, Dr. Witmer’s expertise in multinational companies of various sectors represents a significant added value of knowledge for our company which has always aimed beyond its fundamental principles of internationalization, excellence in the Research and Development of new drugs and quality of drug manufacturing..”

The structure of the Group’s executive governance remains unvaried with its two General Group Managers, Domenico Simone and Pietro Corsa.

Juerg Witmer – Curriculum Vitae

Jürg Witmer is currently Chairman of Givaudan SA, Geneva and Vice Chairman of Syngenta AG, Basel.
Between 2008 to 2012 he was also Chairman of Clariant AG, Basel.
Since 2012 he is a Member of the Board of the Zuellig Group, Hong Kong. Jürg Witmer is also a former Board Member of Crucell N.V., Leiden, NL and of Bank Sal. Oppenheim Cie, AG, Zürich
After a student exchange year in California, Jürg Witmer studied political science at Geneva University’s Graduate Institute and law at the University of Zurich, and he was admitted to the Swiss Bar.
In 1978, he joined Hoffmann- La Roche in Basel as legal counsel and subsequently as assistant to the Chairman and CEO. In 1984, he moved to Roche Far East in Hong Kong where he held the positions of China Project Manager, Regional Marketing Manager and General Manager.
In 1990, he returned to Basel as Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, for the Roche Group.
In 1994, he moved to Vienna as General Manager of Roche, Austria.
In 1999 he was appointed the CEO of Givaudan Group in Geneva.
Since 2005 Jürg Witmer is the non-executive Chairman of the Givaudan Group.

About Menarini Group

Menarini, headquarters of the Menarini Group, was founded Naples in 1886 and then moved to Florence in 1915.

Today it is the leading Italian pharmaceutical company in the world, ranking 17th in Europe and 34th in the world (IMS World Review 2012).

Present in over 100 countries throughout the world, today it counts 16, 640 employees and has a 2012 turnover of over €3 billion.
Research and internationalization represent the main areas of strategic development for its future.

The Group has 14 manufacturing sites located in Italy and abroad where over 545 million packages/year are produced and distributed throughout the five continents, thus allowing Menarini to contribute to the health of patients all over the world with its high quality standards.

For further information contact : Menarini Group Press Office