People In Brief

NPA’s former exec director joins CHPA; Henderson heads FDA’s women’s health office on permanent basis; Nestle promotes nutrition exec Goodyear; Bayer vet Lowinski leads Sanofi’s Asia region; more People In Brief.

NPA’s former executive director joins CHPA

John Gay joins the Consumer Healthcare Products Association as government affairs VP March 8 after leaving the top spot at the Natural Products Association in December. Gay will oversee CHPA’s political action committee and state and federal government affairs and will serve as a member of the group’s senior management team. Gay departed NPA after two years, having come from a background on Capitol Hill and in association leadership (Also see "In Brief" - Pink Sheet, 2 Jan, 2012.). He will report to CHPA President and CEO Scott Melville.

Henderson heads women’s health office

Marsha Henderson moves from acting to permanent director of FDA’s Office of Women’s Health effective Oct. 9, 2011. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in an email to staff that Henderson served as deputy director of the office for 14 years. Hamburg cited peer-reviewed-research publications and expanded consumer outreach as highlights of Henderson’s tenure as acting director. FDA’s handling of approval of OTC emergency contraception led previous director Susan Wood to resign the post in 2005 (Also see "FDAer Resigns Over Plan B; Senators Seek Results Of GAO Investigation" - Pink Sheet, 5 Sep, 2005.).

Nestle promotes Goodyear

Steve Goodyear advances to VP of retail sales for Nestle Nutrition USA. The Nestle SA business Feb. 23 says Goodyear will lead the sales team that oversees Nestle HealthCare Nutrition products including Gerber infant formula and baby foods, PowerBar sports nutrition products and BOOST nutritional drinks. “Steve is an extraordinary sales leader, with the ability to motivate teams and understand customer needs,” Nestle Nutrition CEO Marilyn Knox said in a release. Goodyear joined Gerber in 1990.

Steve Goodyear

Photo courtesy of Nestle

Bayer vet becomes Sanofi Asia VP

Jean-Luc Lowinski becomes senior VP of the Asia region effective May 1, pharma firm Sanofi announces March 2. Lowinski held various positions at Bayer AG starting in 1992, including leading Bayer HealthCare LLC in China and most recently serving as global head of animal health, Paris-based Sanofi said. Lowinski will work out of Shanghai and report to Global Operations President Hanspeter Spek. He also will be a member of the group’s global leadership team.

Pharmavite nabs new CFO

[Pharmavite LLC] appoints David Solomon chief financial officer and executive VP effective March 1. Solomon has more than 30 years of experience in finance across multiple industries, including apparel. He “has significant experience in launching and developing businesses internationally, all of which nicely supports Pharmavite’s strategic direction,” Chief Operating Officer Mark Walsh said in a release. The Northridge, Calif., manufactures Nature’s Made supplements and SOYJOY nutrition bars.

Bakken exits Epax after brief tenure

Omega-3 ingredient supplier Epax AS parts ways with CEO Terje Bakken after less than a year, the Norwegian firm says. “The company is at a crossroads and we have agreed that Epax will continue its business without Mr. Bakken,” Chairman Egil Bodd said in a March 1 release. Bakken had held the job since summer 2011, but butted heads with ownership over Epax’s strategy. Ola Snove will take the top spot at the firm, which is a joint venture between Aker BioMarine ASA and Lindsay Goldberg LLC. Snove was released from his current duties as an investment director at Aker; he already is a member of Epax’s board of directors.

BI Nutraceuticals fills marketing, QC posts

The supplier of dietary supplement and functional food ingredients hires Randy Kreienbrink as marketing director and Steve Smith as quality control manager. Kreienbrink joins Long Beach, Cal.-based BI Nutraceuticals from Brenntag Pacific, where he was food and nutritional ingredient industry manager. He began his career as a food chemist and worked in sales and marketing positions with food, flavor and ingredient companies including the New Zealand Dairy Board,which became part of the Fonterra cooperative in 1991, Ashland Nutritional and Nutrahance Ingredients.

Smith will focus on expanding BI’s laboratory services business. He began his career as a chromatography technician at Molecular Probes before becoming operations director at Sierra Foothill Laboratory and most recently was laboratory supervisor at PTS Labs.

Cooper takes new CFO role at Joint Juice

David Cooper becomes Joint Juice Inc.’s first chief financial officer. The San Francisco supplement firm Feb. 28 said Cooper has more than 25 years’ experience leading finance teams at food firms including Nestle SA’s PowerBardivisionand Dole Food Co., and at several technology companies. Cooper’s experience “will be invaluable in supporting our growth and helping to lead the company forward,” CEO Dave Ritterbush said. The firm acquired sports nutrition brand Premier Nutrition in October (Also see "In Brief" - Pink Sheet, 17 Oct, 2011.).