Merck Announces Appointment of Jim Scholefield as Chief Information and Digital Officer

Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced the appointment of Jim Scholefield as chief information and digital officer, effective Oct. 29, 2018. Scholefield will be responsible for leading Merck’s information technology and digital strategy and will be a member of the company’s Executive Committee.

“We are pleased to welcome Jim as our new chief information and digital officer. His extensive experience leading large global IT organizations for multinational companies, including developing innovative digital capabilities, makes him an exceptional addition to our team,” said Robert M. Davis, executive vice president, Merck Global Services and chief financial officer, Merck.

Scholefield joins Merck from NIKE, Inc., where he is currently the company’s chief information officer. While at Nike, Jim led the creation of the company’s enterprise architecture, including the upgrade of critical infrastructure and delivery of state-of-the art cyber-security. Building on that foundation, Jim championed the digital transformation of Nike, leveraging disruptive technology to serve consumers faster and more personally at scale. Prior to Nike, Jim was chief technology officer at Coca-Cola and held leadership roles in Information Technology at The Northern Trust Company and Ford. He began his career at Procter & Gamble.

"I’m honored and excited to have the opportunity to join Merck, a company that has made – and continues to make – a significant difference in the world,” said Scholefield. “I look forward to contributing to the Executive Committee and to helping the company further succeed by driving industry-leading technology and digital capabilities across all aspects of the business.”

About Merck

For more than a century, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and communities around the world - including cancer, cardio-metabolic diseases, emerging animal diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and infectious diseases including HIV and Ebola. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).

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