Novartis Animal Health introduces eight new swine sales professionals and promotes two sales managers

According to Dr. Gunter Schuele, Novartis Animal Health pig and poultry marketing manager, the eight new sales team members bring the backgrounds and experience necessary to help swine producers, veterinarians and nutritionists succeed, and is one element of Novartis’ overall strategy to improve producer profitability.

“Working with veterinarians and nutritionists to develop a swine herd health program is one of the most important steps producers can take to achieve profitability,” Schuele says. “Our newly expanded swine sales team will provide producers, veterinarians and nutritionists with greater access to the herd health tools they need to be successful in the years ahead.”

The new Novartis Animal Health Swine team members include the following:

• Carisa Curry, territory manager, Illinois and Missouri, who joins from Johnson & Johnson, where she was a pharmaceutical sales professional. Curry is a past pork ambassador from Henry County, Ill.
• Dana Drake, territory manager, Minnesota, who joins Novartis from Lextron Animal Health, where he was a field sales representative. Previously he was gilt development supervisor for Schwartz Farms, Inc. in Sleepy Eye, Minn.
• Aaron Gilbertie, territory manager, Eastern Corn Belt, who was previously with Truffle Media Networks, where he was director of business development. Gilbertie has also been a market researcher for global swine and poultry at Elanco Animal Health.
• Lindsay Grace, territory manager, Northwest Iowa and South Dakota, who joins Novartis from John Morrell & Co. in Sioux Falls, S.D., where she served as product manager for processor sales. She previously worked for United Feeds, Inc.
• Brent Green, senior territory manager, Southwest Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, who was formerly with Boehringer-Ingelheim, where he served as a territory sales manager. Previously, he was international sales manager for Prima Tech.
• Greg Lage, key account manager, who will be responsible for working with key swine accounts in the Eastern Corn Belt. Lage joins Novartis from Prairie Agri-Enterprises Inc., where he was general manager. Previously, he was U.S. swine business unit sales manager for Schering-Plough Animal Health.
• Jeff Lindaman, territory manager, Eastern Iowa and Wisconsin, who previously served as a field sales territory manager with IVESCO Animal Health. Lindeman was also a team leader for inside sales and an inside sales representative at IVESCO.
• Andy Smythe, key account manager, who will be responsible for working with key swine accounts in the Southeastern U.S. Smythe was previously with Coastal Plains, where he spent four years as CEO. Prior to this role, he was an account director for PIC.

  Novartis also announces that Dr. Dean Dau and Sean O’Hare have been promoted to the positions of swine sales manager and key account sales manager, respectively. In their new roles, Dr. Dau will manage the swine sales team and related sales activities; and O’Hare will lead the key account sales managers and related sales activities. Dr. Dau previously served the Novartis Animal Health swine business as a professional services veterinarian. Prior to his new role, O’Hare led the pig and poultry sales team as the sales manager for the farm animal business.

  About Novartis Animal Health

  Novartis Animal Health researches, develops and commercializes leading animal treatments that meet the needs of pet owners, farmers and veterinarians. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Animal Health conducts business in 40 countries and employs about 2,600 people worldwide. For more information, please consult http://www.ah.novartis.com.

  About Novartis

  Novartis AG provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in these areas. In 2008, the Group’s continuing operations achieved net sales of USD 41.5 billion and net income of USD 8.2 billion. Approximately USD 7.2 billion was invested in R&D activities throughout the Group. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 98,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.novartis.com.

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  For further information, contact Novartis Animal Health US, Inc., Customer Relations Department, 3200 Northline Avenue, Ste. 300, Greensboro, NC 27408; 1-800-843-3386.

  © 2009 Novartis Animal Health US, Inc.

  Novartis Animal Health Media Relations

  Contact: Mickey McDermott

  336-387-3924

  mickey.mcdermott@novartis.com

  or Julie Groce

  336-387-1080

  julie.groce@novartis.com