STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 8, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Vitrolife has strengthened its sales and marketing organization with Christer de Flon, the new sales director, and Roy Vallie, the new sales manager in North and South America. Both have long experience of the international biotechnology industry. A further four experienced embryologists and biologists have been employed within the sales organization. ``This means that more clinics can now be given direct support and have marketing efforts directed at them, which is an important part of our future strategy," says Vitrolife's CEO Magnus Nilsson.
The new global sales director will be Christer de Flon, who has many years of experience in managerial posts in both the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, amongst other things as the global head of marketing at Astra Hassle. Christer de Flon has previously worked at Vitrolife and was then responsible for the successful launch of some of the company's most important products - EmbryoGlue(TM) and G III series.
In the USA Roy Vallie has been employed as the sales manager at the subsidiary Vitrolife, Inc., with responsibility for North and South America. Roy Vallie has many years of experience from managerial posts within marketing, in both the American and the international biotechnology industry. From the standpoint of the number of treatments per million inhabitants, the USA is probably the market with the greatest growth potential in the world.
A further four experienced embryologists and biologists have been employed within the sales organization, amongst other things in Germany. Vitrolife now sells under its own management in Germany, which means that the company's own sales organization covers all the Nordic countries and Northern Europe.
The new organization will enable us to capture market needs better, which will give us increased opportunities to develop new, competitive products," says Tony Winslof, Vitrolife's marketing director.
Kungsbacka, Sweden, October 8, 2004
Magnus Nilsson CEO
Queries should be addressed to:
Magnus Nilsson, CEO phone +46(0)31 721 80 00 or +46(0)708 22 80 61. Tony Winslof, Marketing Director phone +46(0)31 721 80 15 or +46(0)708 22 80 15.
Vitrolife is an international biotechnology/medical device group that develops, produces and markets advanced products and systems for the preparation, cultivation and storage of human cells, tissues and organs.
The company has operations within three product areas: Fertility, Transplantation and Cell therapy. Product area Fertility works with solutions (media) for treatment of human infertility. Product area Transplantation works with solutions and systems designed to keep organs in optimal shape during required time outside the body, when waiting for a transplant. Product area Cell therapy works with media in order to be able to use stem cells for therapeutic purposes.
Vitrolife today has over 70 employees and the company's products are sold in over 80 markets. The main office is in Kungsbacka, Sweden, with a subsidiary in Denver, USA. The Vitrolife share is listed on the O list of the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
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