Charles River Laboratories International has named Cheri Walker, Ph.D. to the role of corporate senior vice president, corporate development. Dr. Walker will be responsible for CRL’s global corporate development function, directing all aspects of its merger, acquisition and strategic joint venture activities. She will also participate  in the strategic planning process of the company.

Prior to joining CRL, Dr. Walker was vice president, M&A for Qiagen Sciences where she oversaw the corporate development of Qiagen’s North American life sciences tools and molecular diagnostics businesses. Previously, she held senior corporate development and operational positions at Invitrogen, where she successfully executed acquisition and licensing transactions.

James C. Foster, Chairman, president and chief executive officer of CRL, noted, “We are delighted to have Cheri join the Charles River team. Her depth of experience in life science transactions adds greater strength to our management team.”