DARMSTADT, Germany and PARIS, April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck, announced today that Belén Garijo, President & Chief Executive Officer of Merck Serono, has been appointed as an independent Director of L'Oréal for a period of four years. The appointment of Belén Garijo as a new member of the Board of Directors of L'Oréal was approved by shareholders at the Company's 2014 Annual General Meeting held today in Paris.

Belén Garijo is a medical doctor, specialized in clinical pharmacology and internal medicine. She joined Merck Serono in 2011. During her 25-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, she has held diverse senior functions in a number of countries. She worked in research for eight years, before moving to commercial functions of increasing responsibility. Before joining the pharmaceutical industry, she worked for six years as a practicing physician.

About Merck Serono 

Merck Serono is the biopharmaceutical division of Merck. With headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, Merck Serono offers leading brands in 150 countries to help patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, infertility, endocrine and metabolic disorders as well as cardiovascular diseases. In the United States and Canada, EMD Serono operates as a separately incorporated subsidiary of Merck Serono.

Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines of both chemical and biological origin in specialist indications. We have an enduring commitment to deliver novel therapies in our core focus areas of neurology, oncology, immuno-oncology and immunology.

For more information, please visit http://www.merckserono.com.

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Merck is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. With its four divisions Merck Serono, Consumer Health, Performance Materials and Merck Millipore, Merck generated total revenues of € 11.1 billion in 2013. Around 38,000 Merck employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to further the success of customers and to help meet global challenges. Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company - since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70 percent interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany is holding the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are Canada and the United States, where the company is known as EMD.

Contact:

Bénédicte Bogh
[email protected]

SOURCE Merck Serono