http://www.mssociety.org.uk/news_events/news/press_releases/mike_odonovan_a.html

23 January 2002

Mike O'Donovan has been appointed chief executive of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

He moves to the Society in April from GlaxoSmithKline where he is vice-president strategic management and planning for Consumer Healthcare.

Mr O'Donovan, who is 55, has been personally involved with MS since one of his sons was diagnosed in 1994. He has been a trustee of the MS Society since 1999.

The Society's chairman, Sarah Phillips, said, "We are delighted with Mike's appointment to his new role with us. His strategic skills combined with his understanding of MS and the work of the Society could hardly suit him better to the task."

Mr O'Donovan has a BA Hons degree from Durham University. He has spent almost all his career in the consumer healthcare industry.

He joined Beecham Products in 1972 and became managing director of the Beecham Toiletries division in 1983. From 1985 to 1989, he ran the Beecham business in the Far East.

He was then closely involved in the integration of Beecham with SmithKline Beckman and became development director of the new company's over-the-counter medicine brands. He took up his present position in 1993 and has played a key role in the global management team for the Consumer Healthcare business.

Married with three sons, he lives in Ascot, Berkshire.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society is the UK's largest organisation aiming to ensure people affected by MS have the highest quality of care and support they need in their daily lives. It is also a leading funder of bio-medical and applied research.