Herbert Heitmann, executive VP of external communications for Royal Dutch Shell in The Hague, will move to Bayer AG in Germany in a new post overseeing communications and government relations.
In the U.S., Ray Kerins, a former VP of external affairs and global comms. at Pfizer, joined Bayer last month as senior VP and head of PA/comms. He is based in Whippany, N.J.
Kerins left Pfizer in September, following stints at Merck and GCI Group.
Heitmann takes over on September 1 for Michael Schade, who is headed to Bayer Leverkusen Fussball, a professional soccer team.
Heitmann, who has a Ph.D. in engineering, was chief communications officer for SAP before moving to Shell in 2010. He is a founding president of the European Association of Communication Directors.
Bayer is based in Leverkusen, Germany.
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