AstraZeneca CFO to Join Goldman Sachs
LONDON, June 6, 2007-AstraZeneca PLC announces the resignation
of its Chief Financial Officer, Jon Symonds, with effect from the
end of July. Jon Symonds joined Zeneca in 1997 as CFO after 17
years at KPMG. Within months of joining, he was involved in the
merger negotiations with Swedish pharmaceutical company, Astra.
After completion of the merger in 1998, Jon was appointed as CFO
for AstraZeneca PLC.
“Jon has played a critical role in driving AstraZeneca to
become one of the leading, most focused and most successful
pharmaceutical companies in the world. On a personal level, I have
worked closely with him for several years and have valued his
knowledge of the business, strategic thinking, and wise financial
counsel enormously,” said David Brennan, CEO.
Jon leaves AstraZeneca to join global investment banking, securities and investment management firm, Goldman Sachs in mid September as a managing director. His legacy at AstraZeneca includes a record of consistent strong financial performance and a mature, well structured global Finance leadership team.
Louis Schweitzer, Chairman, commented, “I have the utmost respect for Jon’s personal and professional capabilities, he carries significant credit both for the success of the merger itself and for AstraZeneca’s sound financial performance since 1998. I regret Jon’s decision to leave AstraZeneca, however, the move to Goldman Sachs represents an exciting career challenge for him and I wish him every success with it.”
An external search is underway to identify a successor.
Media Enquiries:
Edel McCaffrey, Tel: +44 (0) 207 304 5034
Steve Brown, Tel: +44 (0) 207 304 5033
Investor Relations:
Mina Blair, Tel: +44 (0) 207 304 5084
Jonathan Hunt, Tel: +44 (0) 207 304 5087
Karl Hard, Tel: +44 (0) 207 304 5322
Jörgen Winroth, Tel: +1 (212) 579 0506
Ed Seage, Tel: +1 302 886 4065
Goldman Sachs:
Paul Kafka, Tel: +44(0) 207 774 4667
Posted: June 2007
