Sigma-Aldrich appoints chief financial officer

Sigma-Aldrich has announced the appointment of Jan Bertsch as its new chief financial officer and executive vice-president, effective as of this week.

Ms Bertsch is the former vice-president, controller and principal accounting officer of BorgWarner, while she has also occupied key operational roles at global organisations such as Ford and Chrysler.

Offering experience in fields such as financial reporting, treasury and capital markets activity, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions and global IT issues, she will play a key role in helping Sigma-Aldrich pursue its growth objectives.

She succeeds interim chief financial officer Kirk Richter, who will continue in the role of vice-president and treasurer.

Rakesh Sachdev, Sigma-Aldrich's president and chief executive officer, said: "Jan has over three decades of progressive leadership assignments with an impressive track record of success, demonstrating strong leadership, innovative thinking and operational improvement."

Last year, the life sciences company generated annual sales of $2.5 billion (1.58 billion pounds), up by ten percent compared to last year.