Richard T. Clark is the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co., Inc., a global research-driven pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative medicines and vaccines. Mr. Clark has been President and CEO of Merck since May 2005, and chairman of the board since April 2007. Barron’s named him one of the 30 best corporate leaders worldwide in 2008.

Previously Mr. Clark held the position of President of the Merck Manufacturing Division, with responsibility for Merck’s global network of manufacturing operations, information services and operational excellence organizations worldwide.

In a career spanning more than 37 years with Merck, Mr. Clark has held a broad range of senior management positions within the company’s manufacturing organization. Mr. Clark joined Merck in 1972 as a Quality Control Inspector, and he progressed through a series of increasingly responsible roles in the areas of production, new products planning, industrial engineering and management engineering, becoming Vice President, Materials Management and Management Engineering in 1991.

In 1993, Mr. Clark was appointed Vice President, Procurement and Materials Management. He became Vice President of North American Operations for the Merck Manufacturing Division in 1994 and Senior Vice President in 1996. In 1997, he was appointed Senior Vice President of Quality and Commercial Affairs. Later that year, Mr. Clark joined the Merck-Medco Managed Care subsidiary as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He later served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the newly named Medco Health Solutions, overseeing plans to prepare that organization to become a publicly traded company. He returned to the Merck Manufacturing Division as President in June 2003.

From 2008 to 2009 Mr. Clark served as board chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies. He also serves on the board of Project Hope, an international health care organization that works in developing countries to help eradicate infectious diseases, train health professionals and educate parents and their children on how to prevent and treat diseases. Mr. Clark also serves as a trustee of The Conference Board, a trustee of Washington & Jefferson College, and as a member of several other business, policy and charitable organizations.

Mr. Clark earned his bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Washington & Jefferson College, and his M.B.A. from American University. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1972 before joining Merck.

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