Gary Shope has been named to the newly created position of chief of staff at Patheon. He will report to chief executive officer James C. Mullen and will become an added resource on critical internal activities related to the company’s strategy and its implementation, sites and other real estate, human resources and communications with key internal and external audiences, according to a Patheon statement.

“I first met Gary in 1992 when he was with the Research Triangle Foundation,” said Mr. Mullen. “I was impressed with his skills, insights and leadership. His career has provided him with a wealth of experience in developing business relationships and coordinating the activities of many disparate entities for a common purpose and I look forward to the many contributions he will make in helping us profitably grow the organization.”

Mr. Shope served 16 years as vice president of economic development for the Research Triangle Foundation, the owner and developer of the Research Triangle Park. Prior to that, he was the group manager, Far East Group at the NC Department of Commerce. Most recently, he was recruited to launch the Riyadh Technology Valley in Saudi Arabia, intended to bring together global corporations, international academic researchers and government leaders to promote the kingdom’s technology potential. Mr. Shope also worked with Orange County (NC) in developing more strategic positioning of the county for new and existing industry clusters and leveraging economic development partnerships with the university community.