Novo Nordisk Appoints New Leader of North American Business

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A F NOVO NORDISK LOGO NOVO NORDISK LOGO Novo Nordisk of North America logo. (PRNewsFoto/Novo Nordisk Inc.)[RD] NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES 02/16/2009

    PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novo Nordisk, the
 world's leading diabetes company, today announced the appointment of Jerzy
 Gruhn as president of Novo Nordisk Inc., the company's U.S. affiliate, and
 senior vice president of Novo Nordisk North America. Gruhn will replace
 Martin Soeters, who will take up the position as senior vice president
 European region, overseeing the company's operations in 35 countries. Gruhn
 is currently vice president of the Eastern Europe region. The appointments
 will take effect on January 1, 2008.
     "We are making these changes at a time when Novo Nordisk is doing well
 in both Europe and North America and are confident that we have the right
 leadership to secure our future growth in the two regions," said Kare
 Schultz, executive vice president and chief operating officer.
     During his 11 years with Novo Nordisk, Gruhn has played a critical role
 in the company's growth, gaining the company a leading position in Eastern
 and Central Europe. In his current position as vice president of the Europe
 East region, he overcame strong competitive pressures and adverse market
 conditions caused by pricing reforms and reimbursement issues to expand the
 company's business in the region to 16 countries with diverse cultures and
 market dynamics.
     "North America is not only the world's largest diabetes market, but
 also a region populated by people passionate about stopping the diabetes
 epidemic here and around the world," said Gruhn. "Novo Nordisk will
 continue to be a leader in changing diabetes by embracing a unique business
 model that allows us to be socially and environmentally responsible, while
 achieving fiscal growth to advance diabetes care."
     Martin Soeters has more than 27 years' experience in Novo Nordisk in
 executive management, sales and marketing. Since he took over
 responsibility for the company's operations in the North American region in
 2000 he has grown annual sales from $500 million in 2000 to $2.1 billion in
 2006. Under his leadership, Novo Nordisk has successfully launched the
 company's complete portfolio of modern insulin, earned a position as the
 diabetes care leader in the North American market and at the same time
 built a strong biopharmaceuticals business. Today, Novo Nordisk employs
 more than 3,000 people in the U.S.
     About Novo Nordisk
     Novo Nordisk is a healthcare company with an 84-year history of
 innovation and achievement in diabetes care. The company has the broadest
 diabetes product portfolio in the industry, including the most advanced
 products within the area of insulin delivery systems. In addition to
 diabetes care, Novo Nordisk has a leading position within areas such as
 hemostasis management, growth hormone therapy, and hormone therapy for
 women. Novo Nordisk's business is driven by the Triple Bottom Line: a
 commitment to economic success, environmental soundness, and social
 responsibility to employees and customers. With headquarters in Denmark,
 Novo Nordisk employs more than 25,000 employees in 79 countries, and
 markets its products in 179 countries. Novo Nordisk's B shares are listed
 on the stock exchanges in Copenhagen and London. Its ADRs are listed on the
 New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'NVO.' For global information,
 visit novonordisk.com; for United States information, visit
 novonordisk-us.com.
 
 

SOURCE Novo Nordisk Inc.