Meddelande om AstraZenecas styrelse

AstraZeneca bekräftar idag utnämningen av Louis Schweitzer som ordförande i AstraZenecas styrelse (Non-Executive Chairman) från och med den 1 januari 2005. Percy Barnevik kommer att avgå från styrelsen och ordförandeposten den 31 december 2004. Utnämningen av Louis Schweitzer som ordförande sker som förväntat efter att han valts in i styrelsen den 11 mars 2004. AstraZeneca meddelar samtidigt att dr John Patterson utnämns till styrelseledamot och Excecutive Director från och med den 1 januari 2005 med ansvar för Development. Martin Nicklasson blir Executive Vice-President, Product Strategy and Licensing samt VD för AstraZeneca AB. Kontaktperson: Staffan Ternby, 08-553 261 07 Biografier Louis Schweitzer AstraZeneca PLC announced the appointment of Louis Schweitzer as a non-executive Director of the company on March 11 2004. He was elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Renault in May 1992. Since taking office, Mr. Schweitzer has opened the company to private shareholders in 1994 and led the privatization of Renault in 1996. On March 27, 1999, Renault and Nissan agreed to join forces to achieve profitable growth for both companies forming a new entity ranking fifth in the world automotive industry. Since then, Renault has taken a majority stake in Dacia and Samsung in 2000 and became first stakeholder of AB Volvo in 2001, which is now running Renault's industrial vehicles activity. A new step of the alliance with Nissan was announced late 2001, including cross shareholding, increase of Renault's stake in Nissan and new joint management structure. Louis Schweitzer is President of the Management Board of Renault-Nissan BV since March 2002. Louis Schweitzer joined Renault in May 1986. He became Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice-President in 1988, President and Chief Operating Officer in December 1990, Chairman of the Renault-Nissan BV Board in March 2002. Formerly, he was a Civil Servant at the Budget Department then served for five years as chief of the staff of Laurent Fabius, who was Minister of Budget in 1981, Minister for Industry and Research in 1983, and Prime Minister from 1984 to 1986. Mr. Schweitzer got a Master's degree in Law and studied at the "Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris". He carried on as a student at the "Ecole Nationale d'Administration" from which he graduated in 1970 as "Inspecteur des finances". Mr. Schweitzer serves on the board of AB Volvo, BNP-Paribas, Electricité de France, and Philips, VEOLIA Environnement, as well as on the board of a number of not-for-profit institutions. Dr. John Patterson John Patterson qualified in Medicine in 1971 and obtained a Membership (now Fellowship) of the Royal College of Physicians in 1974. His career with Zeneca Pharmaceuticals (the company which merged with Astra in 1999 to form AstraZeneca) spanned 20 years, starting in 1975 as Medical Adviser in the Clinical Research Department. Subsequent appointments included: Manager of Clinical Research; Medical Director, ICI Germany; Vice President of Clinical Research and Medical Affairs and, subsequently, Medical Director, ICI Pharmaceuticals. Before moving to AstraZeneca's Senior Executive Team, Dr. Patterson held the position of Territorial Business Director, responsible for all the businesses of Zeneca Pharmaceuticals outside the USA, responsible for directing the business operations of the national entities in 130 countries. As Executive Vice President of Product Strategy & Licensing, Dr. Patterson was responsible for Global Marketing for all brands, including the management of the AstraZeneca product portfolio and licensing. Dr. Patterson has an external responsibility as Director of the British Pharma Group. He is a former President of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, a former Non-Executive Director of Amersham PLC and a former member of the supervisory board of the UK Medical Control Agency. Note to picture editors: Photographs of Louis Schweitzer and John Patterson are available from www.newscast.co.uk