BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, U.K., Nov. 14, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Amersham plc (LSE:AHM) (NYSE:AHM) (OSE:AHM) today announces the appointment of Peter Loescher to the role of Chief Operating Officer, effective 1 January 2004. Mr. Loescher, 46, joined the company in December 2002 as President of Amersham Health and an Executive member of the Amersham plc Board.
In this new role Mr. Loescher will continue to lead Amersham Health and to report to Sir William Castell, Chief Executive, Amersham. Andrew Carr, President Discovery Systems and Peter Ehrenheim, President Protein Separations will report to Mr. Loescher with respect to their operational responsibilities.Sir William Castell, Chief Executive of Amersham, said: "Since joining Amersham Peter has brought a more customer-led approach to our marketing operations and has realigned Amersham Health's focus on its core medical diagnostics business. His appointment as Chief Operating Officer reflects our confidence in his ability to take on wider operational responsibility for the delivery of our business goals."
Prior to joining Amersham, Mr. Loescher, was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aventis Pharma in Japan, the world's second largest pharmaceutical market. Mr Loescher is a graduate of the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, and has also studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Harvard Business School.
Notes to Editors:
On October 10, 2003, General Electric (GE) and Amersham announced a recommended share exchange acquisition by GE of Amersham. This is subject to a number of conditions including regulatory clearances and shareholder approval.
Amersham plc (LSE, NYSE, OSE: AHM) is a world leader in medical diagnostics and in life sciences. Headquartered in the UK, the company had sales of 1.62 billion Pounds in 2002 and has over 10,000 employees worldwide. Its strategy is to build its position as a leading provider of products and technologies enabling disease to be better understood, diagnosed earlier and treated more effectively. For more information, visit our website at www.amersham.com
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