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Merck Group announced on Wednesday, March 24, that it has assigned a new chief financial officer. The company picked Caroline Litchfield to be Robert Davis’s replacement and she will assume her post starting April 1.
Litchfield’s new appointment at the company
As per Reuters, Litchfield has been working for Merck since 1990. At that time, she joined the company as part of its unit in the U.K. Prior to her new assignment as CFO this year, she was in charge of Merck’s treasury, tax and investor relations.
She has also worked in the financial operations section for Merck’s Human Health. This unit is the pharmaceutical firm’s largest business to date.
In any case, she will be succeeding Rob Davis, who will leave his post as CFO. He will be taking over as the company’s new chief executive officer as the current CEO, Ken Frazier, already announced last month that he is retiring in June.
Litchfield’s expected contribution as the new CFO
The new assignments of chief officers also come as Merck is aiming for transformation. It wanted to diversify its offerings and go beyond the immuno-oncology business development. It was mentioned that Litchfield would be a big help in this transition as she takes on part of the responsibilities for this plan.
“Caroline’s appointment as our next CFO is the result of a combination of factors and most importantly, Caroline’s financial expertise, remarkable track record, and leadership as well as our commitment to developing talent and our succession planning for leadership roles,” Kenneth C. Frazier said in a press release.
Davis added, “Caroline’s passion for Merck’s mission and for the patients we serve guides every decision that she makes." He said he is also looking forward to working with Caroline and "to benefit from her expertise and leadership as we chart the course for Merck in the months and years ahead.”
In response to the warm welcome from her colleagues, Caroline Litchfield said that she is very honored to serve Merck as the new CFO. She went on to say that her assignment is even more meaningful as it comes at such a pivotal time when the company is transitioning to improve lives.
