Merial appoints new European head of business operations

Merial has announced the appointment of Pierluigi Crippa as its new head of business operations for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

Mr Crippa joined Rhone Merieux in 1993 as general manager and general director of Istituto di Sviluppo Biologico Italiano, becoming general manager for Merial in Italy in 1997 and head of avian global enterprise for the firm in 2000.

He continued to rise through the ranks, eventually being appointed as country manager for Italy in 2005 and head of EMEA emerging markets in 2012.

In his new role, Mr Crippa will be responsible for leading commercial operations and implementing growth strategies in the EMEA region, which covers 93 countries in total.

Steffen Saltofte, head of global business operations at Merial, said: "Europe is a key region for Merial, with very diverse markets and a competitive environment. There is no doubt that Pierluigi's experience and proven track record will strengthen the EMEA region."

The Merial business is currently owned by Sanofi, but will soon be swapped to Boehringer Ingelheim in exchange for the latter company's consumer healthcare business.