Merz promotes Katrina Church to vice president, chief compliance officer

Merz has announced that Katrina Church has been promoted to vice president, chief compliance officer. The appointment was effective July 1, 2012.

In this new role, Ms. Church will be responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership relating to compliance issues, the company states.

"Katrina brings extensive experience and a wealth of legal knowledge in pharmaceutical regulatory compliance to her new role," said Bill Humphries, president and CEO of Merz. "Katrina plays a vital role in ensuring that we uphold the highest standards and values in this dynamic regulatory environment. We look forward to working with her on the many compliance requirements facing pharmaceutical companies today."

Ms. Church joined Merz in November 2009 and has more than 20 years of legal experience in various areas, including private legal practice and in-house corporate counsel positions. Prior to joining Merz, she was employed by Connetics, where she served as general counsel. Following the acquisition of Connetics by Stiefel Laboratories in 2006, she provided legal consulting services to Stiefel.

Ms. Church graduated from Duke University, Durham, N.C., and obtained her juris doctor from the New York University School of Law. She is admitted to the State Bar of California, certified in Healthcare Compliance and is a member of the American Corporate Counsel Association, American Health Lawyers Association, Health Care Compliance Association, and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics. Ms. Church will remain at the Merz headquarters in Greensboro, N.C.