Lilly names new chief information officer

Lilly has announced the promotion of Dr Aarti Shah to the role of senior vice-president and chief information officer.

Dr Shah originally joined Lilly in 1994 in the post of senior statistician. She has held many technical and administrative leadership positions over the years, eventually becoming global brand development leader for immunology in 2013.

In her new role, she will lead a worldwide IT organisation with more than 1,300 employees, in addition to many contractors and external business partners. Her overall purpose will be to deliver innovative IT solutions to the business.

The appointment will be effective as of July 1st 2016.

Derica Rice, Lilly's executive vice-president of global services and chief financial officer, said: "She is known for her relentless focus and passion for developing people, and her deep knowledge of drug development will be vital as IT touches every aspect of our business."

During the first quarter of 2016, the company achieved year-on-year revenue growth of five percent, driven by strong sales of new pharmaceutical products.