Thomas F. Ackerman, corporate executive vice president and chief financial officer, will retire from Charles River Laboratories in February 2016. David R. Smith, corporate senior vice president, Global Discovery Services, will succeed Mr. Ackerman.
 
Mr. Ackerman joined the company in 1988 has held his current position since 2005. Mr. Ackerman has agreed to provide periodic consulting services during the one-year period following his retirement, allowing for a smooth transition.
 
Mr. Smith joined the company through the acquisition of Argenta and BioFocus from Galapagos NV, where he was chief executive officer the Galapagos Services division. He spent eight years at PricewaterhouseCoopers prior to joining AstraZeneca in 1997, where he served in various finance and business roles of increasing responsibility. Mr. Smith also served as chief financial officer at Galapagos NV and Cambridge University Hospitals.
 
James C. Foster, chairman, president and chief executive officer, said, “Under Tom’s leadership, we have built a strong and deep finance team which has been instrumental in enabling us to facilitate the Company’s growth. We are grateful that Tom has provided us with the time required to plan for a seamless transition of his responsibilities and the ability to access his extensive knowledge after he retires. We thank Tom for his many years of dedicated service to Charles River.”
 
Dr. Emily Hickey will take over Mr. Smith’s role in Global Discovery Services. Prior to joining Charles River, Dr. Hickey was executive director of In Vivo Pharmacology at Merck Research Labs, leading the development and implementation of the externalization strategy for in vivo studies. Most recently, she served as corporate vice president of In Vivo Discovery at Charles River, overseeing discovery businesses in the U.S. and Europe.
 
Additionally, Dr. Katherine Hilyard, managing director, BioFocus DPI Ltd., will be promoted to the position of corporate vice president, Early Discovery, and will assume responsibility for the Argenta, BioFocus, and ChanTest businesses.
 
“These executive appointments highlight the strength of our management bench. David, Emily, and Kate are proven executives who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, with the vision to drive the Company’s growth. I look forward to working collaboratively with these senior leaders as we expand our portfolio and enhance our position as the strategic partner of choice for early-stage drug research,” Mr. Foster concluded.