Wesley P. Wheeler, MBA has been named chief executive officer of Marken. He succeeds Gerard Barba, who will remain the chairman of the board.

“As the nature of biopharmaceutical R&D changes, well controlled clinical supply chains will be a significant factor in the success of key life science companies and the industries that support them. The Board and I feel that Wes can bring his experience from the drug manufacturing, biotechnology and traditional pharmaceutical industries to augment an already strong management team and continue Marken’s growth,” said Mr. Barba.

Prior to joining Marken, Mr. Wheeler was president and chief executive officer of Patheon. He was also a former president of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, and previously held senior executive roles of increasing responsibility in manufacturing, marketing and engineering at GlaxoSmithKline. Preceding his 22-year career in pharmaceuticals, Mr. Wheeler had a successful 12-year career at ExxonMobil. Mr. Wheeler has also contributed several columns and articles to Contract Pharma and is a member of the Contracting & Outsourcing Conference Advisory Board.

Mr. Khawar Mann, managing partner at APAX LLP., which owns Marken, said, “We are delighted that Wes has agreed to join us at Marken. His operations background and successful track record in the pharmaceutical industry will give us the tools we need to continue building Marken’s portfolio of services and geographies, and thus realize our greatest potential as a leading logistics services provider.”