May 27, 2005
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Co-Chair of N.C. A&T's Capital Campaign Promoted  Willie A. Deese Named President, Merck Manufacturing Division - Industry veteran with three decades of manufacturing and procurement expertise - Led procurement transformation at Merck Merck & Co., Inc. announced the appointment of Willie A. Deese as President, Merck Manufacturing Division. Deese, who is currently Senior Vice President of Global Procurement for Merck, will have responsibility for Merck's global manufacturing, procurement and operational excellence functions, leading an organization of more than 15,000 employees, spanning 31 plants in 25 countries. Deese will serve as a member of Merck's Management Committee and will report directly to Merck's Chief Executive Officer and President Richard T. Clark. Deese succeeds Clark as President, Merck Manufacturing Division. Deese joined Merck as Senior Vice President, Global Procurement, in January 2004, after nearly three decades of experience as an executive and manager for several pharmaceutical, health care and high technology companies, including GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, PLC; SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, PLC; Kaiser Permanente and Digital Equipment Corp. During Deese's 28-year career, 24 years have been directly related to supporting, enabling or leading manufacturing operations, including plant management responsibility during his tenure at Digital Equipment Corp. Since joining Merck 16 months ago, Deese has been responsible for developing and implementing a procurement strategy that has helped Merck dramatically reduce its cost of goods, materials and services, and is projected to achieve an aggressive cost reduction target of $1.2 billion over five years. He also has been instrumental in the ongoing development of Merck's manufacturing strategy. Deese has also spearheaded initiatives to improve efficiency, service and quality through consolidation of key business support functions. Deese earned his B.A. in Business Administration at North Carolina A&T State University in 1977, and his M.B.A at Western New England College in 1983. He chaired the steering committee for the School of Business and Economics Building Dedication and Alumni Reunion and is the co-chair of A&T's $100 million capital campaign. He and his wife, Carol, have a son and reside in Doylestown, Pa. |
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