Lilly appoints new UK managing director

Lilly has announced the appointment of Dr Jean-Michel Cossery as managing director and vice-president of its UK affiliate and northern Europe geographic hub.

Dr Cossery joins the company after an eight-year spell with GE Healthcare, where he served as vice-president and chief marketing officer, while previous employers include Novartis, Serono and Laboratoire Fournier.

He has been appointed as the successor to Ramona Sequeira, who is moving to a new role at Lilly's corporate centre in Indianapolis after three years in charge of the UK business.

Dr Cossery expressed confidence at the company's ability to steer itself through a challenging conditions in the UK pharmaceutical industry.

Andrew Hotchkiss, Lilly's president of the Australia, Canada and Europe region, said: "I … believe his experience will be extremely beneficial as we prepare to launch our new products. We look forward to the leadership he will provide to our organisation and the patients we serve."

Earlier this month, the company reported positive progress on its corporate social responsibility efforts in the last year, including its extensive charitable contributions and efforts to reduce its environmental impact.