Merieux succession on the agenda

The president of the French in vitro diagnostics group bioMerieux, Alain Merieux, has started to prepare the ground for his successor. The company has announced that Stephane Bancel, aged 34, from Eli Lilly, will become deputy director in an initial phase of the changeover.

The post is essentially temporary, and will enable Mr Bancel to prepare the take over as executive vice president from January 2007. Mr Bancel started his career with bioMerieux in 1995 before leaving in 1998. When he takes over as executive vice president in 2007, he will replace Benoit Adelus, who has been with the company for six years. Mr Adelus said the changes reflect Alain Merieux's decision at the age of 67, to hand over control of the company in the short term to his son-in-law who is aged 40 and who is currently vice president responsible for R&D and industrial business.

Mr Adelus said there was no divergence of view between himself and Mr Merieux who had suggested that he join him within Merieux Alliance, the holding group controlling bioMerieux along with French drug firm Transgene, Silliker and Advanced BioScience Laboratories. Mr Benoit has not yet given his response to the proposal.