KIRKLAND, QC, Feb. 8, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - John Helou has been named President of Pfizer Canada Inc., Canada's largest pharmaceutical company, effective January 31, 2012.
Mr. Helou, a veteran of more than 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry and head of the Pfizer Specialty Care Business Unit (SCBU) for Canada and Puerto Rico, succeeds Paul Lévesque, who has been named Chief Marketing Officer for Pfizer Primary Care in the United States. Mr. Lévesque will be moving to Pfizer headquarters in New York City to take up that position.
While taking this expanded leadership position in Canada, Mr. Helou will maintain his role as head of the SCBU. He is based at the company's Canadian headquarters office in Kirkland, Quebec.
Mr. Helou began his career as a chemical engineer with DuPont Canada in 1980, moving five years later to the company's pharmaceutical business where he took positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, strategic planning and business development in Canada, the U.S. and at the global level.
In 1997, Mr. Helou set up and became General Manager of Agouron Canada, the Canadian operations of a start-up biotech company specializing in HIV/AIDS and oncology treatments. Agouron was subsequently acquired by Pfizer and the business operations transferred in 2003, at which time he was appointed Pfizer Canada's Director of Sales for its Specialty Business. In 2006 he was named Vice-President, Public Affairs and Stakeholder Relations, before being named head of the SCBU when it was formed in 2009.
Mr. Helou has a chemical engineering degree from the University of Toronto and is married with two grown daughters. He enjoys playing squash, tennis and golf.
About Pfizer Canada
Pfizer Canada Inc. is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc., one of the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies. Pfizer Canada has nearly 3,000 employees working at six facilities across Canada and in many other communities in every province. They are the heart of Pfizer's ability to contribute significantly to Canadians' health and economic well-being through the company's provision of prescription and non-prescription medicines, vaccines, generic medicines, and animal health products, as well as its investments and job-creation in research and development and manufacturing.
Well-known brands from Pfizer include the prescription medicines Celebrex, Champix, Viagra, Premarin and Lipitor and the non-prescription products Advil, Dristan, Dimetapp, Chapstick, Centrum and Caltrate.
Every day, Pfizer Canada employees work to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. We apply science and our global resources to improve the health and well-being of Canadians at every stage of life. Our commitment is reflected in everything we do, from our disease awareness initiatives that it takes more than medication to our community partnerships, to our belief to be truly healthy. To learn more about Pfizer's More Than Medication® philosophy and programs, visit www.morethanmedication.ca. To learn more about Pfizer Canada, visit www.pfizer.ca.
Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Pfizer.Canada.
More Than Medication® is a trademark of Pfizer Canada Inc.
Lisa Ross
Pfizer Canada Inc.
1-866-973-4937
[email protected]
Share this article