Perrigo names new CEO following departure of Joseph Papa

DUBLIN - Perrigo on Monday announced the appointment of John Hendrickson as CEO, effective immediately, following the resignation and departure of Joseph Papa.

 

"Aligned with our succession planning process, the board of directors has elevated John to chief executive officer from president, where he led global operations and had responsibility for almost 70% of our employee base. John is an exceptional leader who is passionate about our mission, committed to our core values, and with his breadth of experience, is uniquely qualified to successfully lead Perrigo into the future," stated Laurie Brlas, Perrigo chairman. "He has made exceptional contributions to the business during his 27-year tenure, including leading our U.S. Consumer Healthcare business, and we are confident that he has the industry expertise and the operational track record to continue to drive growth."

 

Hendrickson has served as president of the Perrigo Company since October 2015. He was formerly EVP, global operations and supply chain between 2006 and 2015 and has held numerous other management and operational leadership roles at Perrigo since he joined the Company in 1989, including leading the U.S. Consumer Healthcare business from 2003 to 2006. 

 

Hendrickson earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, and a B.S. in Chemistry at Hope College.

 

Papa left Perrigo for Valeant Pharmaceuticals, where he was named chairman and CEO on April 25. 

 

Papa, having resigned on April 24, 2016, will not stand for reelection at the company's 2016 general annual meeting of shareholders. In addition, on April 24, 2016, Perrigo's board of directors approved the recommendation of the Nominating & Governance Committee to withdraw Marc Coucke's nomination for reelection to the board at the meeting. Furthermore, with these changes, the board is also separating the roles of CEO and chairman of the board and, in doing so, elected independent director Laurie Brlas to the role of chairman of the board.