KENILWORTH, N.J., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Schering-Plough Corporation today announced the appointment of Shaju Backer as general manager, Schering-Plough Australia/New Zealand. He will assume responsibility for leading the company's pharmaceutical business in Australia and New Zealand and will be based in Sydney. He will report to Rodney Unsworth, group vice president and president, Asia-Pacific Region. Backer succeeds Terrie Curran, who is relocating to Switzerland with her family.
Backer most recently served as director of Schering-Plough Australia's specialty health care division, a post he has held since joining the company in 2004. During his tenure, he transformed the specialty business into a highly successful and competitive entity.
Backer began his pharmaceutical career in the United States with Abbott Laboratories in an international management development program. Over the course of his career, he has held various senior management positions in marketing, business development and business unit management in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia and has worked on strategic projects in France and Japan.
Backer holds a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology in India, and a master of business administration degree in International Management with a double major in corporate finance and international marketing from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management in Arizona.
Schering-Plough is a global science-based health care company with leading prescription, consumer and animal health products. Through internal research and collaborations with partners, Schering-Plough discovers, develops, manufactures and markets advanced drug therapies to meet important medical needs. Schering-Plough's vision is to earn the trust of the physicians, patients and customers served by its more than 32,000 people around the world. The company is based in Kenilworth, N.J., and its Web site is www.schering- plough.com. Schering-Plough Australia and New Zealand are country operations of Schering-Plough.
Schering-Plough CorporationCONTACT: Media: Gail Thornton, +1-908-298-5313, or Hugh Scott,(011-612-9852-7444 - Sydney), or Investor: Alex Kelly, +1-908-298-7436
Web site: http://www.schering-plough.com/
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