Christian Velmer has been appointed president and managing director of Wyeth Canada, effective November 17, 2008. Mr. Velmer replaces Arnout Ploos Van Amstel, who has taken a position as senior vice president and general manager, Institutional Business Unit for Wyeth.
   
“Mr. Velmer brings to his new position an extensive knowledge of pharmaceutical company management. I’m pleased to welcome him aboard and I look forward to the continued progress of the Canadian business under his leadership,” said Andreas Krebs, president, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Canada, Wyeth.
   
Most recently, Mr. Velmer was senior vice president Western Europe for Merck Serono in Frankfurt, Germany where he was responsible for the management of 16 countries across Europe. Prior to joining Merck Serono, Mr. Velmer held various senior executive positions with Johnson & Johnson and Bayer in Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.