Actelion appoints chief operating officer

Actelion has announced that head of business strategy and operations Otto Schwarz has been promoted to the role of chief operating officer.

Mr Schwarz has been with the company since 2008 and has been credited with helping the pharmaceutical firm to expand its global footprint, while driving international sales growth.

In his new role, he will assume additional responsibility for corporate services, global quality management and corporate communications, with the heads of all three of these divisions remaining in place.

His appointment comes as part of a wider programme of management restructuring designed to improve Actelion's leadership and governance standards.

Jean-Paul Clozel, the company's chief executive officer, said: "We are committed to move Actelion to the next stage, advancing value creation for all stakeholders by turning innovation into successful medicines that change patients' lives."

According to the firm's last financial report, Actelion experienced a 15 percent year-on-year growth in the first quarter of 2011.