Per Wold-Olsen, who played a significant role in the growth of pharmaceutical giant Merck, has been named governor of the Bio Malta Foundation.

Wold-Olsen, who was appointed by Malta Enterprise, which founded the BioMalta Foundation, has an illustrious career in the field of life sciences spanning more than 30 years. At Merck & Co. Inc., which he joined as a trainee in 1973 and retired from as president of the human health intercontinental division, he was responsible for 15,000 employees in more than 100 markets.

Merck’s significant growth in Europe saw it consistently rank first by revenue for its growth in this market. Wold-Olsen was also the architect of many of Merck’s landmark studies that led to significant improvements in the pharmaceutical sector from which millions of patients have benefited.

As member of the Merck Company Foundation Oversight Committee, Wold-Olsen also provided leadership to the company’s corporate responsibility initiatives and helped direct the company’s HIV/AIDS initiatives in emerging markets.

A past chairman of Lundbeck A/S and of the Europe Committee of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Wold-Olsen is currently the board chairman of GN Store Nord A/S, a top-20 listed company in Denmark, and also serves on the board of Gilead Sciences Inc., the Medicines for Malaria Venture, as well as several biotech boards.

Meanwhile, Bio Malta Foundation chairman Sir Chris Evans chaired the board’s first meeting earlier this month, effectively kickstarting the business of setting out and implementing a national strategy for the development of a life and medical sciences industry in Malta.

Sir Chris presented the first draft of a Life Sciences Strategy for discussion and consultation among stakeholders.

Representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Malta Enterprise, the Malta Council for Science and Technology and the University of Malta sit on the board of the Bio Malta Foundation.