Table of Contents
WHIPPANY, N.J. — David Heist, director of industry affairs and customer relations at Bayer Consumer Care, has announced his retirement.
David Heist, director of industry affairs and customer relations at Bayer Consumer Care, has announced his retirement.
In an e-mail message to industry colleagues on Monday, Heist said he plans to retire from Bayer on May 1, 2015. He has served in his current position at Bayer for 20 years.
"Bayer Consumer Care’s acquisition of Merck Consumer Care took place Oct. 1, 2014, and we are currently in the transition phase of bringing the two businesses together to form the new Bayer Consumer Care. For the time being, it will be business as usual until all the pieces of the puzzle have been placed in the proper position to form the new Bayer," Heist stated in the e-mail. "To this end, I am taking this opportunity to announce that I will be retiring from Bayer Consumer Care."
Before coming to Bayer, Heist held sales executive and trade relations positions at SmithKline, Menley & James (director of trade development), Alco Standard (director of national accounts), Vita-Fresh Vitamin Co. (vice president of sales), Mennen (vice president of trade development), A.H. Robins (vice president of trade development) and American Home Products (vice president of trade relations).
Heist said Christopher Guida, executive director of sales for the drug channel at Merck Consumer Care, has joined Bayer and will be taking over his role, with the title of director of industry affairs for drug wholesale and Puerto Rico.
"Filling that position is a well-known industry veteran, Christopher Guida, who has joined Bayer via the Merck acquisition," Heist said. "During the next few months, I will be helping Chris by facilitating his transition to Bayer’s new ambassador to the industry."
Prior to joining Merck, Guida served as senior director of sales for the grocery channel at Schering-Plough, which was acquired by Merck. Before that, he held sales executive positions at Boots Healthcare International, Pharmacia, International Home Foods and American Home Products.
Bayer AG announced the $14.2 billion acquisition of Merck Consumer Care in May. With the purchase, Bayer gained such well-known over-the-counter brands as Claritin, Afrin, MiraLax, Coppertone and Dr. Scholl’s.
