[U] Last Week, Merck Increased Its Proportion Of Women Directors Significantly... Now 6 Of 14

UPDATED: Merck will release Q4 and full year 2019 GAAP results in the morning. Barron's says the company is expected to report "sales of $12 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019, and earnings per share of $1.15. . . ." That would be yet another in a long string of fine quarterly results, by the company. End update.

I do think, if memory serves, Merck stands alone now [certainly way ahead of Pfizer (2 of 11) and moderately ahead of J&J (4 of 13)], in big pharma -- as a public multinational with nearly half its board comprised of women.

Kennilworth tallied four, out of twelve, prior to last week -- or a third. Now it is significantly closer to approaching a truer reflection of the composition of its customers' demographics. [As a side note, it wasn't all that long ago that I ran a legacy graphic in which Mr. Frazier was the lone big pharma CEO of color. . . there have been several, since. They've come and gone, but he alone, I think -- remains. So, progress comes. . . in smaller steps, it would seem.]

Here it is -- slightly delayed, as I've been busy elsewhere:

. . . .[Merck] announced that Dr. Christine (“Kricket”) E. Seidman, professor, Harvard Medical School, and Kathy J. Warden, chairman, chief executive officer and president, Northrop Grumman Corporation, will join the company’s Board of Directors effective March 16, 2020. Dr. Seidman and Ms. Warden will stand for election with the company’s other directors in connection with Merck’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 26, 2020. With the addition of Dr. Seidman and Ms. Warden, the Merck board will include 14 members.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Seidman and Ms. Warden to our board,” said Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck. “Both are highly respected leaders in their fields. Dr. Seidman’s scientific expertise and Ms. Warden’s strategic perspective and operational expertise will be important assets as Merck continues its journey to become the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company serving patients around the globe.”

Dr. Seidman is the Thomas W. Smith Professor of Medicine and Genetics at Harvard Medical School and is the director of the Cardiovascular Genetics Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She leads a research laboratory that focuses on integrating clinical medicine and molecular technologies to define disease-causing gene mutations and genetic variations that increase disease risk. Dr. Seidman was awarded the Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Sciences in 2018 and elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2005. She earned her degree in biochemistry from Harvard University, her M.D. from The George Washington University and completed her residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

Ms. Warden became chairman of Northrop Grumman in August 2019 and has served as CEO and President since January 2019. Previously, she was President and Chief Operating Officer, and President of the Mission Systems and Information Systems sectors. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Ms. Warden held leadership roles at General Dynamics, a venture technology firm, and General Electric.

In addition to global operational experience leading a research and technology-intensive company, Ms. Warden brings deep cybersecurity expertise to the Merck board. Ms. Warden also serves as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. She earned her undergraduate degree in computer information systems from James Madison University and her MBA from The George Washington University. . . .

Now you know -- and that is reflective of true[er]... leadership. Onward, smiling.

नमस्ते