OREANDA-NEWS. Silvia Ayyoubi (62), Head of Group Human Resources for Roche and member of the Corporate Executive Committee has decided to retire from Roche following the Annual General Meeting in March 2016. Silvia Ayyoubi joined Roche in 1987 and held several positions of growing responsibility in human resources. She has been Head of Group Human Resources and a member of the Corporate Executive Committee since March 2008.

Christoph Franz, Chairman of Roche, said: “I thank Silvia Ayyoubi for the outstanding contributions she has made during her almost 30 years with Roche, the last eight years in her current position. Silvia Ayyoubi has created and led an effective global human resources function, enabling Roche to attract and develop the most talented people world-wide.”

The Board of Directors has appointed Cristina Wilbur (48) to succeed Silvia Ayyoubi as Head of Group Human Resources and member of the Corporate Executive Committee. Cristina Wilbur, currently Head of Human Resources for the Diagnostics Division, joined Roche in Indianapolis, US, in 2002. From 2006 until 2010 she was the Head of Human Resources for the Diagnostics organization in the United States. She has been holding her current position based in Basel, Switzerland, since the beginning of 2010. Cristina Wilbur holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and has more than twenty years of experience in business and human resources.

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives.

Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare – a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible.

Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. Twenty-nine medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Roche has been recognised as the Group Leader in sustainability within the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences Industry seven years in a row by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.

The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2015 employed more than 91,700 people worldwide. In 2015, Roche invested CHF 9.3 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 48.1 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan.