Perrigo president to retire
Perrigo is planning for a change in leadership at the top of its consumer self-care Americas segment. The company has announced that Jeff Needham, Perrigo executive vice president and president of consumer self-care Americas segment, which includes the company's private label offerings, will be retiring effective Sept. 30.
In preparation, Needham will step down from his role and into an advisory capacity on March 23, with Ranir CEO and president Rich Sorota moving into the position. Needham will remain with the company until his retirement to ensure a smooth transition.
"I am extremely proud and grateful to have had the privilege to be part of the Perrigo team for so many years as we have partnered with our retail and wholesale customers to grow the store brand business to where it is today,” Needham said. “Perrigo is a great company with a business that brings tremendous value to consumers through our strong customer partnerships. I am confident that Perrigo's growth trajectory and the ongoing development of our [consumer self-care Americas] business will be well served by Rich's leadership."
Needham joined Perrigo in 1984 and his tenure has seen him hold leadership positions across the company, including in marketing, business development and Perrigo’s international business.
“I want to express my deep appreciation of Jeff and all that he has accomplished over his storied 36-year tenure with Perrigo,” Perrigo president and CEO Murray Kessler said. “His leadership and dedication are intertwined with the history and success of Perrigo in addition to that of the store brand health and wellness industry. We greatly value Jeff's significant contributions to Perrigo and the self-care industry and wish him well in his retirement.”
Needham’s successor, Sorota, joined Perrigo through the company’s acquisition of Ranir, a maker of store brand and private label oral and personal care products, which he has led in his current capacity since July 2015. Kessler noted, “Following Perrigo's acquisition of Ranir, it became apparent that Rich is an exceptional leader with the skills and experience to execute on Perrigo's vision and strategy. I look forward to working with him on expanding our 'national brand better' offerings through innovation, executing against our self-care strategy, and driving profitable growth.”
Sorota’s experience includes leadership roles at Ranir, as well as executive positions with Bissel, where he rose to the rank of executive vice president of commercial operations, and president of Harman International. He also has held previous posts with Scotts Miracle-Gro, Phillips Electronics and Procter & Gamble.
"I am honored for the opportunity to lead such a great business," Sorota said. "As I have come to know Perrigo better following the acquisition of Ranir, I am even more excited about the long-term outlook for the company and its consumer self-care strategy. I look forward to working closely with the highly talented CSCA team to foster new innovation and drive profitable growth in this business."