Dublin-based pharmaceutical company Shire has brought in healthcare PR veteran and attorney Michele Galen to head corporate communications and public affairs.
She replaces Stephanie Oey, Shire's chief communications officer who joined Alexion Pharmaceuticals this month.
Galen, who was stationed in the US and Switzerland over more than a decade for Novartis in several top communications roles until January, takes a senior VP title for Shire in Lexington, Mass., where the company's top executives operate.
She did a short stint as CMO for life sciences investment firm MPM Capital and, prior to Novartis, was a managing director for Burson-Marsteller, co-founding the firm's "change communications" unit advising companies through M&A, restructurings and other events.
Galen worked as an IP attorney for five years in the 1980s, but attended journalism school and moved to Business Week as an editor for six years before making the move to Burson.
UK-based AbbVie scuttled a blockbuster $54B acquisition of Shire last year as the US Treasury Dept. cracked down on so-called inversion mergers aimed to cut US tax liability. Shire earned a breakup fee of more than $1B.
Shire's top earning drugs include Vyvanse and Adderall XR for ADHD.
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Teneo has hired Philipp Grontzki, who is a 20-year veteran of corporate communications and financial journalism, as a managing director in its strategy and communications group.
Rowan Benecke, who co-founded Zeno Group and helmed Burson-Marsteller's tech practice, has joined McKinsey & Co as director of communications for North America.
BCW has named Golin's Matt Coldagelli EVP and leader of its corporate affairs practice in Chicago.
Abby Bailey, who headed corporate communications for Fedex in its Middle East, India and Africa region, has joined Teneo as managing director in Dubai.
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