Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) said it is making two changes in its
senior leadership aimed at strengthening its presence in the
increasingly important China market and at bolstering growth in its
consumer segment.
The company said Jesse Wu, currently worldwide chairman of its
consumer segment, will become Chairman, Johnson & Johnson
China, a new position that the company described as "the
culmination of a strategic initiative" launched last year to drive
growth and strengthen relationships with the government and other
"key external stakeholders" in most of the world's most important
emerging markets.
He will report to Alex Gorsky, J&J's chairman and chief
executive officer.
Mr. Wu, 56 years old, will be replaced in his current post by
Lynn Pendergrass, who will join the company from Hewlett-Packard
Co. (HPQ), where she was senior vice president and general manager
for the printing and personal systems business. Ms. Pendergrass,
53, has also previously worked at General Electric Co. (GE). As
world-wide chairman, consumer, she will report to Sandra E.
Peterson, group world-wide chairman, who joined the company in
December from Bayer AG (BAYRY, BAYN.XE).
Both appointments take effect Sept. 16. The company said neither
executive was available to comment.
Ernie Knewitz, vice president for media relations, said the
decision to establish a more centralized structure in China is the
result of internal discussions over the past 12 months aimed at
building its business in the country. It isn't related to the
bribery investigation in China that has enveloped GlaxoSmithKline
PLC (GSK, GSK.LN) and put some other companies under scrutiny.
Ms. Pendergrass takes over a consumer business that the company
said last month is making headway in efforts to recover from
manufacturing problems that have led to recalls of many
over-the-counter products.
Write to Ron Winslow at Ron.Winslow@wsj.com
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