We Care. Research for your Health.

Management

Jack Britts President and Chief Executive Officer
Robert W. Burgess CPA, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Administration
Bhushan Hardas MD, MBA, Vice President and US Head of Research & Development
Bill Edwards Vice President & General Counsel
John Pauly Vice President of Commercial Operations
Steven Schneier Vice President of Medical Dermatology
Alex Bruni Vice President of Marketing
Dave Shoup Vice President of Neurology

Jack Britts, President and Chief Executive Officer, joined Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC in September 2008 and brings with him a wealth of experience developed during a multi-faceted pharmaceutical career.

Prior to joining Merz, Jack spent 7 years at Sepracor, where he headed the majority of commercial activities, including Marketing, Organized Customer Strategy, Contracting and Sales, Government Affairs, Commercial Analytics, and New Products Planning. From 1986 to 2000, Jack held various positions within AstraZeneca PLC, where he last served as Vice President, Therapeutic Area Leader Gastrointestinal Products with responsibility for over $4.5 billion in sales. Prior to the AstraZeneca merger, Jack held a number of positions within Zeneca, including Sales, Marketing, Product and Portfolio Management, as well as an international assignment serving as the General Manager for the businesses in Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Middle East, and Africa with Zeneca Pharma International.

Jack holds a BS in Economics from the University of Richmond.

Robert W. Burgess, CPA, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Administration for Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC, has been with Merz and its predecessor, Mayrand Pharmaceuticals, for over 20 years. Burgess joined the company as Secretary/Treasurer in 1991 and worked with Goody's Pharmaceuticals, Mayrand's parent company, in a joint capacity from 1992 to 1995. Prior to working for Mayrand, Burgess worked for over 8 years with McGladrey & Pullen, a national public accounting firm, in various general services positions including Senior Manager.

Burgess is also Chief Financial Officer & Vice President of Administration of Merz Inc., the parent/holding company of Merz Pharmaceuticals LLC, and its affiliate Merz Aesthetics, Inc., and serves as a member of the board of directors of Merz, Inc.

Burgess holds a BS/BA with a concentration in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He obtained his CPA certification in 1984 and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Bhushan Hardas, MD, MBA, Vice President and US Head of Research & Development, joined Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC in 2004 to oversee all medical, regulatory and quality functions. Prior to joining Merz, Dr. Hardas was director of dermatology at Procyon Biopharma, Inc., a Montreal-based Canadian biotechnology company, where he led the scientific, medical and clinical activities supporting all aspects of the company's dermatology business. Earlier, Dr. Hardas also spent eight years at Derm Cosmetic Labs, advancing to the position of research and development executive director.

Dr. Hardas received advanced training in clinical immunology and molecular biology at King's College London at the University of London, in London, England. He also completed a research fellowship in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Michigan, and received his MBA in healthcare management from the University of California - Irvine.

His work in skin biology has been published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and the Journal of Dermatology, and he has been recognized by the Dermatology Foundation, the Veteran's Administration and the National Institute of Health.

Dr. Hardas's professional affiliations include memberships in American Academy of Dermatology, Wound Healing Society, and the U.S.-based Regulatory Affairs Professional Society. He is a patron member of Society for Investigational Dermatology, a member of the leaders society at the Dermatology Foundation, as well as the Molecular Biology Cancer Network, and Royal Society of Medicine based in the United Kingdom.

Bill Edwards, Vice President & General Counsel, joined Merz Pharmaceuticals in March 2009 to lead the Company's legal function and to oversee its corporate compliance and ethics programs. Bill has over twenty years of experience providing legal counsel to pharmaceutical companies and to diverse components of the US health care delivery system. Bill is also General Counsel, Vice President, and Secretary of Merz Inc., the parent/holding company of Merz Pharmaceuticals LLC.

Prior to joining Merz, Bill served as Assistant General Counsel for GlaxoSmithKline and its predecessor companies for over thirteen years. In this capacity, he counseled a variety of clients on the reimbursement, manufacture, distribution, marketing and sales of pharmaceuticals and on regulatory compliance matters. During his tenure at GlaxoSmithKline, Bill also served as a Director of Public Policy in Glaxo's Corporate Affairs Department, and he directed the Company's grassroots political action network. Previously, Bill was in a private healthcare legal practice for eight years where he represented academic medical centers, physician organizations and groups, payers, and pharmacists on regulatory, reimbursement, and business matters. Before entering law, Bill was a practicing social worker and administered a day treatment program for adults with chronic and persistent mental illness.

Bill holds his J.D. and Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BA from the University of Virginia. Bill is a Member of the North Carolina Bar.

John Pauly, Vice President of Commercial Operations, joined Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC in March 2009 and brings with him a diverse background in sales, managed markets, trade, institutional and government sales.

Prior to joining Merz, John spent 12 years at Sepracor, where he was responsible for the strategy and operational aspects of all dealings with Sepracor’s customer base. This included but was not limited to Medicaid, Medicare, Government, Managed Care, Institutional Sales, and Trade. Before Joining Sepracor, John held similar functional positions at Richwood Pharmaceuticals (Shire Pharmaceuticals) and Centocor. John started his pharmaceutical career at Rhone Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals

John holds a BS in Marketing from Northern Kentucky University.

Steven Schneier, Vice President of Medical Dermatology, joined Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC in May 2011 to lead the Medical Dermatology business. Steve has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biotech and diagnostic industries, having most recently served as Executive Director and Head of Commercial Operations & New Products Marketing with Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. 

Steve has launched and marketed products in the US and globally. He has served in senior management & commercial roles at Prometheus, Amgen, Eli Lilly & Company, and TAP Pharmaceuticals. 

Steve holds an MBA from Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina and a BS in Biology from Duke University.

Alex Bruni, Vice President of Marketing, joined Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC in January of 2009 and currently leads the planning, development, and execution of strategic plans for neurology, including market development, brand strategy, promotions, positioning and messaging. Prior to joining the Neurology team, Alex was Vice President of Commercial Development and Operations at Merz Pharmaceuticals and was responsible for the majority of commercial operations in the US including Business Development, New Products Planning, Commercial Analytics, IT, and Supply Chain Operations. 

Before joining Merz, Alex spent 2 years at CombinatoRx in Cambridge, MA as Director of Business Development leading efforts to partner CombinatoRx’s novel research platform and portfolio of synergistic combination product candidates. Alex also worked in Commercial Analytics at Sepracor, leading forecasting activities for the Respiratory franchise. Alex began his career at Serono where he held a number of positions in IT, Supply Chain, and Finance, supporting functions across the value chain from R&D to Managed Markets.

Alex holds an MBA from Babson College and a BA in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. 

Dave Shoup, Vice President of Neurology, joined Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC in October 2008 to lead Merz US’ entry into the neurology market. Dave has 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, including potions as Vice President of Marketing for the TPR division of Talecris Biotherapeutics, where he established marketing and customer analytics functions within the organization.  Dave also served as Vice President of Global Commercial Development at Talecris, with responsibility for developing lifecycle management programs and overseeing marketing research and portfolio management.

Prior to Talecris, Dave served as Global Alliance Leader, Global Product Team Leader and Vice President of Sales and Marketing for EMD Pharmaceuticals (an affiliate of Germany’s Merck KGaA) as well as in a variety of commercial management roles during a fifteen-year career with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

Dave holds a BA in Telecommunications/Marketing from Indiana University.