Reckitt Benckiser’s group general counsel (GC) Bill Mordan (pictured) is set to leave the consumer goods company to take up the role of GC and company secretary at pharmaceutical giant Shire.
According to Mordan, who will also sit on Shire’s executive committee, his start date is still to be determined while his replacement at Reckitt Benckiser will also be announced in due course. Speaking to Legal Business, he added: ‘It’s a very positive transition, Reckitt Benckiser has been extraordinarily supportive and helpful and after twelve years I am going back to the United States for a wonderful opportunity with a growing and vibrant pharmaceutical company.’
Mordan joined the multinational, which owns household brands including Vanish, Nurofen and Dettol, in 2003 following a six-year stint as associate GC at Procter & Gamble. He is currently based at Reckitt Benckiser’s headquarters in Slough, but will relocate with his family to Shire’s US operational headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Mordan was named as one of Legal Business‘ original GC Powerlist in 2013 and most recently the 70-strong team at Reckitt was included in the GC Powerlist 2015: The Team Elite for its innovative approach to both internal clients and external counsel. The group pioneered a sophisticated contract management system called I-Legal which enables the client to create their own contracts from non-disclosure agreements to supply agreements.
In 2014 Mordan led the team on the acquisition of the global rights to the K-Y brand from Johnson & Johnson; discussions with rival pharmaceutical company Merck & Co regarding an offer for the brand’s consumer health business; and the demerger of RB pharmaceuticals, subsequently rebranded Indivior and floated on the London Stock Exchange in December.
In January this year, Shire carried out its biggest acquisition with Slaughter and May advising it on a $5.2bn purchase of biotech NPS Pharma, represented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk
