Mervyn J. Turner, Ph.D.
Chief Strategy Officer, Merck & Co.;
SVP, Emerging Markets, Merck Research Laboratories
Dr. Mervyn Turner joined Merck Research Laboratories in 1985. Over the last 22 years, he has held many positions of increasing responsibility at Merck. In August 1999, Dr. Turner was appointed Senior Vice President, Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Turner returned from his assignment in Montreal in October 2002 to take up a position as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Licensing and External Research. In this role, he was responsible for the oversight of all of Merck’s licensing activities and for the management of academic relations.Through his multiple and diverse experiences in the Merck Research Laboratories, Dr. Turner has acquired a broad perspective on the issues surrounding drug discovery and development.
2004 through 2007 saw a sizeable increase in deal activity for Merck, with over 190 transactions completed. Merck has also been active in M&A, with Aton, Abmaxis, GlycoFi, Sirna, and NovaCardia, all acquired to build areas of key strategic importance. Dr. Turner sees all this activity as a logical product of a cultural shift within Merck towards a more outward-facing organization.
Dr. Turner is the author of over 80 articles in peer reviewed journals. He has served on the Editorial Board of a number of journals, and since 1998 has been a member of Health Care Ventures Scientific Advisory Board.