EMD Serono, the Healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada, today announced that Miguel Fernández Alcalde has been appointed Head of Global Commercial Strategy. Monia Vial is appointed President of EMD Serono, Head of North America, succeeding Fernández Alcalde.
"Miguel has consistently demonstrated the vision, agility, and commitment to patients that this role demands, across geographies, business functions, and every level of leadership. He is exceptionally well positioned to shape our global commercial strategy for the future," said Danny Bar-Zohar, CEO Healthcare and Member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “Looking ahead, Monia brings to our company deep leadership experience in the United States, along with invaluable international perspective and cultural fluency. Over the last eight years, she has built a rare disease franchise from the ground up, delivering outstanding results across multiple brands, indications, and product launches.”
Fernández Alcalde succeeds Andrew Paterson, who has made the decision to retire after 31 years with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Previously, Fernández Alcalde served as President of EMD Serono, Head of North America. He also served as Chief Operating Officer of EMD Serono; Head of Global Business Excellence & Innovation; and as General Manager of Finland and Spain for Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. His experience gives him a uniquely broad perspective across commercial, operational, and strategic functions, ideally positioning him to lead Global Commercial Strategy.
Fernández Alcalde joined the company in 2014. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy from the University Complutense in Madrid, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alcalá de Henares, and a Master’s Degree in Management from IESE Business School.
“Global Commercial Strategy is at the heart of how we bring our science to patients, and together with our teams across geographies, we will continue to drive growth, accelerate our portfolio, and deliver meaningful outcomes for the patients who depend on us,” said Fernández Alcalde.
Vial joins EMD Serono from Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President and Head of the U.S. Rare Disease Business Unit. Her more than 20-year career spans the full arc of pharmaceutical leadership: in-country P&L, global brand strategy, rare disease, oncology, hematology, and business development, with leadership experience across product launches, lifecycle management, pipeline development, and asset acquisition.
Vial began her career in consultancy before moving into the pharmaceutical industry, where she held roles of increasing responsibility at AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Shire Pharmaceuticals. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Pharmacy, Paris, and a Master’s Degree in Marketing from HEC Paris.
"Joining EMD Serono at this moment is an incredibly unique opportunity,” said Vial. “The company is going through a genuinely exciting transformation, and the portfolio and pipeline create tremendous possibilities for patients. I look forward to meeting the teams across the U.S. and Canada, learning from them, and delivering significant impact for patients together.”
Fernández Alcalde and Vial will be based in Boston, U.S. Both will serve as members of the Healthcare Executive Committee.
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About EMD Serono, Inc.
EMD Serono - the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the U.S. and Canada - aspires to create, improve and prolong life for people living with difficult-to-treat conditions like infertility, multiple sclerosis and cancer. The business is imagining the future of healthcare by working to translate the discovery of molecules into potentially meaningful outcomes for people with serious unmet medical needs. EMD Serono’s global roots go back more than 350 years with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Today, the business has approximately 1,050 employees around the country with commercial, clinical and research operations in Massachusetts. www.emdserono.com.
About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2025, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 21.1 billion in 65 countries.
The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.
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