Sanofi names new independent director

Sanofi has announced the proposed appointment of Patrick Kron as a new independent director, a motion that will be voted upon during its next general shareholders' meeting.

If appointed, Mr Kron would replace Lord Douro, who has served on the board for 12 years and will not seek another term. The new-look board of directors would consist of 16 members, with four being female and ten being independent.

Mr Kron began his career at the French ministry of industry in 1979, before moving to the aluminium conglomerate Pechiney in 1984, where he served in various roles until 1997. Following this, he was appointed chief executive officer of Imerys.

He has been the chief executive and chairman of the nuclear steam turbine developer Alstom since 2003. Sanofi's board will come to a final decision on his proposed appointment at the shareholders' meeting in May 2014.

This comes after the firm announced its fourth-quarter financial results for 2013 last month, revealing it returned to growth during the period. In 2014 , Sanofi expects to achieve year-on-year growth of between four and seven percent in terms of earnings per share.