Thermo Fisher Scientific names new chief financial officer

Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced the appointment of Stephen Williamson as its new chief financial officer (CFO), effective as of August 1st 2015.

Mr Williamson, the current vice-president of financial operations at Thermo Fisher, has been elected for the role following the announcement that current senior vice-president and CFO Peter Wilver will retire on March 31st 2016.

The new CFO has been with the company since 2001 and was originally hired as vice-president of European financial operations. He later became vice-president of finance for the analytical technologies business in 2006, before taking up his current post two years later.

Mr Wilver, who has served as CFO since 2004, will work with his successor between August and March to ensure a smooth transition, and will remain an active member of the company leadership team until his retirement.

Marc Casper, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher, said: "I'm looking forward to partnering with Stephen to take Thermo Fisher to the next level as we continue to strengthen our position as the unrivalled industry leader."

The firm achieved year-on-year growth of 29 percent in 2014, thanks to the positive impact of its Life Technologies takeover. A deal to acquire Advanced Scientifics was agreed earlier this month.