Sanofi, the leading pharmaceutical companies of the world, today announced the appointment of Suresh Kumar as a new member of the executive committee, effective Jun. 1, 2015. Kumar joins Sanofi from Oliver Wyman and will take the position of executive vice president, external affairs.

Kumar will be responsible for defining Sanofi's vision for meeting global health challenges. This will include setting the strategy and priorities for public affairs activities, interactions with governments and international organizations-and aligning internal and external communications around these priorities. As part of bringing these activities together in a more integrated way, the Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility teams will report to Kumar.

''Suresh brings a genuinely unique profile to Sanofi that includes a diversified, international career within the healthcare industry, public sector leadership experience and an intimate understanding of NGOs,'' said Olivier Brandicourt, CEO, Sanofi. ''Suresh's deep relationships with business and government leaders worldwide and his passion for making an impact on improving lives through healthcare will make Suresh a valuable addition to Sanofi and the Executive Committee.''

Shares of the company gained Rs 95.35, or 2.89%, to settle at Rs 3,398.00. The total volume of shares traded was 24,907 at the BSE (Wednesday).