Novartis names Jonathan Symonds deputy CFO and CFO designate
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* Symonds joins Novartis from Goldman Sachs starting September 1,
2009
Basel, May 13, 2009 - Novartis announced today that Jonathan Symonds,
currently Managing Director, Investment Banking, at Goldman Sachs
will be joining Novartis on September 1st as deputy CFO and as CFO
designate, reporting to Raymund Breu, who will retire on March 31,
2010 at the age of 65, after 35 years of outstanding service to
Novartis.
"Jonathan Symonds' financial expertise, broad industry experience and
deep knowledge of the healthcare industry make him especially suited
to take on the responsibilities of CFO of Novartis from Raymund
Breu," said Dr. Daniel Vasella, Chairman and CEO.
Symonds, 50, spent eight years as CFO at AstraZeneca, where his
position encompassed Finance, M&A, Strategy, IT, Purchasing, Business
Development and Licensing. Before that he was Finance Director at
Zeneca and previously was a partner at KPMG.
Disclaimer
This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to
the Group's business, which can be identified by terminology such as
"will," or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions
regarding Mr. Symonds' potential succession to the CFO position at
Novartis. You should not place undue reliance on these statements.
Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the
Group regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be
materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no
guarantee that Mr. Symonds will in fact succeed to the CFO position
at Novartis. In particular, management's expectations could be
affected by, among other things, the uncertain outcome and progress
of the ongoing global financial and economic crisis, including
uncertainties regarding future global exchange rates and
uncertainties regarding future demand for our products; uncertainties
involved in the development of new pharmaceutical products;
unexpected clinical trial results, including additional analysis of
existing clinical data or unexpected new clinical data; unexpected
regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; the
Group's ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary
intellectual property protection; uncertainties regarding actual or
potential legal proceedings, including, among others, product
liability litigation, litigation regarding sales and marketing
practices, government investigations and intellectual property
disputes; competition in general; government, industry, and general
public pricing and other political pressures; the impact that the
foregoing factors could have on the values attributed to the Group's
assets and liabilities as recorded in the Group's consolidated
balance sheet; and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis
AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange
Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties
materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual
results may vary materially from those described herein as
anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Novartis is providing
the information in these materials as of this date and does not
undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as
a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About Novartis
Novartis AG provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving
needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare,
Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs:
innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive
vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis is
the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2008, the
Group's continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 41.5 billion
and net income of USD 8.2 billion. Approximately USD 7.2 billion was
invested in R&D activities throughout the Group. Headquartered in
Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately
98,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140
countries around the world. For more information, please visit
http://www.novartis.com.
# # #
Novartis Media Relations
Central media line : +41 61 324 2200
Eric Althoff
Novartis Global Media Relations
+41 61 324 7999 (direct)
+41 79 593 4202 (mobile)
eric.althoff@novartis.com
e-mail: media.relations@novartis.com
Novartis Investor Relations
Central phone: +41 61 324
7944
Ruth Metzler-Arnold +41 61 324 North America:
9980
Pierre-Michel +41 61 324 Richard Jarvis +1 212 830
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e-mail: e-mail:
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Novartis International AG
Posfach Basel
WKN: 904278; ISIN:
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