New York state-headquartered Bausch + Lomb has hired Alex Kelly as its new vice president of investor relations. Kelly will take over IR activities from vice president of global communications Adam Grossberg who is moving on to a new role within the firm’s global branding, advertising and digital initiatives.
A pharmacy graduate of Purdue University, Kelly has a strong track record of managing investor relations in the pharmaceutical and healthcare spheres.
He started his career in 1989 as a pharmaceutical sales representative for Upjohn, now part of Pfizer, and was promoted to district sales manager in 1996. His transition into IR happened three years later, when he was appointed investor relations director of the enlarged Pharmacia & Upjohn group.
After a stint at Novartis as an executive director, he joined US pharmaceuticals firm Schering-Plough’s IR team in 2004, staying on after the company’s merger with Merck, where he most recently held the position of senior vice president of IR.
Bausch + Lomb was previously listed on the NYSE and acquired in a $4.5 bn deal by Warburg Pincus in 2007. In March 2013 it was reported that the private equity group was planning a new IPO for the eye care firm, after failing to attract an adequate sales bid. Bausch + Lomb posted $3 bn in revenue and a net loss of $68.3 mn for 2012.
