Shire’s chief financial officer to step down

Shire's chief financial officer Graham Hetherington will be leaving the company next month to spend more time with his family and pursue other interests.

Mr Hetherington will step down from the board of directors on March 1st 2014, with senior vice-president and group financial controller James Bowling to assume the role on an interim basis.

The outgoing chief financial officer departs after a successful 35-year career that includes almost six years with Shire. His successor has been with Shire since 2005 has been a key leader in its finance team since then.

Shire will also begin a global search for Mr Hetherington's permanent successor immediately.

Flemming Ornskov, Shire's chief executive, said: "We are grateful for his many contributions to Shire and, on behalf of the company, we wish him well. I am pleased that we will have an excellent interim leader in James Bowling."

This comes after the company reported its financial results for 2013 last year, highlighting a double-digit improvement in sales during the year.