Novo Nordisk appoints new leader of North American affiliate
Aug 21, 2013
PLAINSBORO, N.J., August 21, 2013 – Novo Nordisk announced today that Jesper Høiland has been appointed as president of Novo Nordisk, Inc., the company's North American affiliate. The appointment became effective August 1, 2013. Mr. Høiland was previously Novo Nordisk's head of International Operations where he oversaw all of the company's operations outside of Europe, China, Japan, Korea and North America. He replaces Jerzy Gruhn, who served in the role since 2008. Gruhn has been appointed to lead the company's European business. In the first six months of 2013, the North American region accounted for 46% of total Novo Nordisk reported sales.
Jesper Høiland joined Novo Nordisk in 1987 as assistant area manager in Denmark. He moved to marketing positions in Canada, Belgium and France before being promoted to general manager of Novo Nordisk Australia in 1998. In 2000, he was promoted to senior vice president of international marketing, and in 2004, senior vice president of international operations. Under his leadership, the company's international operations region has grown its business and organization significantly, leading to the successful spinoff of China as a new, separate region in 2011, among many other achievements.
Mr. Høiland said, "This position is a great opportunity to lead an organization that is both driving the growth of our business and helping solve one of the most pressing health challenges facing the United States. Novo Nordisk must play a vital role in addressing America's diabetes crisis not only through the treatments we develop, but also by engaging with patients, caregivers, physicians, policy makers and communities to help prevent diabetes and improve treatment across the board."
The changes in leadership have been triggered by the retirement of some of the company's most experienced and successful leaders, including Martin Soeters, former head of the Europe region. Successors were identified through Novo Nordisk's succession management process, part of the company's annual organization review.
About Novo Nordisk
Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. The company also has leading positions within hemophilia care, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. For more information, visit www.novonordisk-us.com or follow our news in the US on Twitter: @novonordiskus.