Sanofi appoints new audit committee chairman

Sanofi has announced the appointment of Robert Castaigne as the new chairman of its audit committee.

Mr Castaigne holds a doctorate in economics and has occupied a variety of positions at the Total group, including chief financial officer, as well as having been a member of its executive committee. He has been a Sanofi board member since 2000 and joined the audit committee in 2008.

He has been appointed as the successor to Dr Klaus Pohle, who has chaired Sanofi's audit committee since 2004. Following this move, Dr Pohle will continue to serve as a member of the board.

Serge Weinberg, chairman and chief executive officer at Sanofi, said: "I thank Dr Pohle for his 11 years of dedicated service as Sanofi's audit committee chairman. Mr Castaigne's appointment as chairman continues Sanofi's commitment to a strong and engaged audit committee."

This comes after the firm announced the appointment of Bayer HealthCare's Olivier Brandicourt as its next chief executive officer. He will take over in the role on April 2nd.