Lundbeck strengthens its European organization

H. Lundbeck A/S (Lundbeck) has appointed João Rocha and Michael Quiqueran-Beaujeu as regional vice presidents for European markets. These appointments play an important role in the strengthening of the company’s European organization at a time when Lundbeck will be launching a number of new drugs that will continue to build the foundation of Lundbeck’s business.

Lundbeck will organize its European markets into two regions, West and East, in order to manage the many new drug launches in the best possible way. João Rocha will take on responsibility for commercial activities in a majority of the Western European countries as regional vice president for Region West, while Michael Quiqueran-Beaujeu will lead Lundbeck’s activities in Eastern Europe as well as Turkey and Russia.

“Europe is still Lundbeck’s largest market, and with our growing drug portfolio and several new launches in the near future, it is important that we consolidate and strengthen our European organization,” says Marie-Laure Pochon, Lundbeck’s executive vice president for commercial operations. “With our new structure and the appointment of João Rocha and Michael Quiqueran-Beaujeu, who both bring with them many years of experience and impressive results, I am convinced that we have a set-up that gives us the optimal conditions for success in developing and expanding the Lundbeck business.”

Impressive results

João Rocha comes from a position as Lundbeck’s country manager in Brazil and regional vice president for Latin America. He has achieved impressive results in this role over the last ten years, having among other things turned the antidepressant, Lexapro, into Brazil’s eighth best-selling drug, and positioned Lundbeck as a central player in the Latin American pharmaceutical industry. João Rocha is a citizen of Brazil who worked for US pharmaceutical companies Schering-Plough and Merck before he joined Lundbeck.

Michael Quiqueran-Beaujeu comes to Lundbeck from a position as senior vice president and general manager for Northern Europe at Genzyme Corporation, a biotech company. Since he took on the role of vice president there in 2004, first for Central Europe and then for Northern Europe, he has increased sales by more than 400 per cent in less than four years. Michael Quiqueran-Beaujeu is an Austrian citizen with more than 20 years of experience in the European pharmaceutical industry, and has worked for Sandoz, Hoffman-La Roche and Genzyme, among others.