Abraxis BioScience, Inc. has named its executive committee and placed seven officers on its executive management team: Richard E. Maroun as chief administrative officer; Thomas H. Silberg as executive vice president, commercial operations & operational excellence; John F. Weidenbruch as general counsel and assistant corporate secretary; Bruce Wendel as executive vice president, corporate development; Ronald E. Pauli as interim chief financial officer; Frank Harmon as executive vice president, global operations; and Carlo Montagner, who continues as president of Abraxis Oncology. These seven executives will form the company’s executive committee.

Nicole S. Williams, who has served as chief financial officer and president of the Abraxis Pharmaceutical Products (APP) division, will retire from APP to pursue other opportunities. “I was very grateful that we were able to induce Nicole out of retirement in 2002 to provide leadership in building our finance department and implementing SAP. She has played a key role in building a strong organization that allows us to move forward and enact upon our growth strategy,” said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Abraxis BioScience.

A search has been initiated for both a chief financial officer of Abraxis Bioscience with global corporate experience as well as for the president of the Abraxis Pharmaceutical Products division.

“As we move into our next stage, our executive team brings extensive experience to their roles with Abraxis,” Dr. Soon-Shiong commented. “Rick Maroun and Tom Silberg both bring a breadth of experience in strategic development and operations which will be a vital component of the organization as we continue to enact upon our growth strategy both in the U.S. and globally. John Weidenbruch has been a trusted advisor since he joined the company and brings an excellent mix of experience in corporate governance, biopharmaceutical regulatory and commercial knowledge, government affairs and strategic planning. Frank Harmon’s global manufacturing and operations expertise will serve us well as we establish a global footprint for our product portfolio. Bruce Wendel brings deep experience in global corporate development as the company enters an inflection point of growth and acquisition. Finally, Ron Pauli’s deep financial experience with the company will be invaluable as we conduct a search for a permanent corporate CFO.”