INVIDA ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM
Chief Marketing Officer and Country Managers for India and Vietnam
Singapore -August 9, 2010 - Invida Group Pte Ltd, the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on the commercialization of healthcare products throughout Asia Pacific, today announced that it has added three new members to the senior management team. Invida has appointed Sumeet Sud in the newly-created role of Chief Marketing Officer, along with Girdhar Balwani and Thomas Birsinger as Country Managers for India and Vietnam, respectively. Invida's new management team members will help support the company's corporate strategy, emphasizing growth and brand development throughout the region while maintaining strong leadership at the country level.
John A. Graham, Chief Executive Officer of Invida Group, said, "I am pleased to welcome Sumeet, Girdhar, and Thomas to Invida and look forward to working closely with them as we continue to establish the company as a leader in the Asia Pacific region. Each of them brings a wealth of experience and applicable knowledge to leverage in their new roles at Invida. We are continuously seeking talent of this caliber to help us focus on our core corporate strategies and to establish ourselves in the region's rapidly growing markets."
As Invida's first Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Sud will play a critical role in the continuing expansion of Invida. He will focus on core market entry strategies, the implementation of commercial programs and the optimal allocation of company resources, in order to maximize the value of Invida's commercial portfolio. With over 18 years of experience at leading global companies, including Talecris Biotherapeutics, Pfizer Inc., and Merck & Co., Inc., and with 10 years experience in Asia Pacific, Mr. Sud will lead an experienced team of professionals in the areas of Product Management, Market Intelligence, Regulatory Affairs and Medical Affairs. He will focus on ensuring seamless integration through the commercial value chain, from product approval through launch, commercialization and lifecycle management.
Sumeet Sud, Chief Marketing Officer, said, "I am honored to be the first Chief Marketing Officer at Invida. The Company has developed a truly unique approach to optimizing products in the highly attractive Asia Pacific Region and I look forward to leveraging my global experience in marketing innovative products and growing pharmaceutical businesses to help bring Invida to the next level."
Girdhar Balwani and Thomas Birsinger are also joining Invida's management team as country managers for India and Vietnam, respectively. They will be responsible for the development of Invida's business in these rapidly expanding markets and for building Invida as a trusted Asian brand. They will have full accountability for the performance in their countries and interface with customers and key stakeholders to ensure that all local operations maintain the same standards as the rest of the Invida Group.
Mr. Balwani joins Invida with over twenty-five years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently at UCB as Regional General Manager for nine countries in Asia Pacific. His accomplishments in that position included the creation of the company's Indian organization. Commenting on his appointment, Girdhar Balwani, Country Manager, India, said, "The role of managing and growing Invida's business in one of the region's most important markets is an exciting opportunity for me. India is an influential and rapidly growing market that holds many interesting prospects for business development. Bringing Invida's products to India will be critical not only to the future growth of our company but to supporting the region through the introduction of innovative healthcare products."
Mr. Birsinger, Country Manager, Vietnam, brings experience working in the U.S., Thailand, Vietnam and Korea on both the manufacturing and distribution sides of the business. For the last six years, Tom has worked with Zuellig Pharma in Vietnam and Korea. While in Vietnam, Mr. Birsinger managed the nationwide sales/marketing teams and doubled the sales of the company in three years. Regarding his appointment, Mr. Birsinger said, "I am looking forward to taking on this challenging new role at Invida. As Country Manager, I will maintain focus on implementing Invida's best practices throughout the region and supporting the launch and commercialization of all products. I am confident that through my past experience working in Vietnam, I have a clear understanding of the market landscape and am excited to see how Invida's business can support this region's burgeoning economy."
About Invida Group Pte Ltd
Invida improves the lives of patients in the Asia Pacific Region by commercializing a unique and growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products. We do this through our proven brand marketing and sales know-how, strong expertise across a number of key therapeutic categories, and deep experience in all critical Asia Pacific markets. Comprehensive functional capabilities provide rapid market access delivered by our passionate team of professionals.
With 4,000 employees in 13 markets in Asia Pacific, Invida operates across the commercial value chain from regulatory approval and product launch to lifecycle management. We manage a portfolio of proprietary healthcare brands as well as licensed products from small biotech firms and large multinational companies. Partnering is a critical component of Invida's business model. We collaborate closely with our partners in developing effective strategies and put our extensive experience behind maximizing the potential of the assets entrusted to us.
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