Merck Sharp and Dohme names Michael Holston as chief ethics officer

Merck Sharp and Dohme has appointed Michael Holston as its new chief ethics and compliance officer.

Mr Holston will take up the position from June 25th, when he replaces the retiring Richard Bowles.

Reporting directly to chairman and chief executive Kenneth Frazier, the executive will be responsible for maintaining high ethical standards and overseeing compliance across the company.

The appointment was welcomed by Mr Frazier, who highlighted Mr Holston's "extensive experience managing compliance with healthcare laws across international businesses".

Mr Bowles, who will retire after more than 35 years with Merck and the former Schering-Plough, was thanked by the chief executive for creating "a solid base upon which Mike can continue to build a world class ethics and compliance organisation".

Mr Holston previously served as executive vice-president and general counsel at Hewlett-Packard, where he was responsible for compliance, ethics and legal affairs.

Merck has seen several changes at the top in recent months, with Richard Clark retiring as chairman in December 2011 and Thomas Shenk leaving the board of directors in February.