Grimsby’s doomed Novartis plant has a new managing director - and most likely its last.
Ian Johnson, who has been serving in the role on an interim basis during predecessor Cynthia Chiaramitara’s recent maternity leave, has been appointed to the helm of the pharmaceutical plant.
He first joined the sprawling Grimsby site in 1992, but was most recently head of asset life cycle management and engineering within Novartis' global technical services team, based in Basel.
The Swiss firm announced it was to close the Moody Lane site last September, with 400 direct jobs to go and a further 100 contractor roles at risk, with potentially more in the supply chain, should a buyer not be found.
It comes just a week after Grimsby MP Melanie Onn urged bosses to act responsibly over the future, calling for some of the loyalty shown by the community to be repaid.
Novartis, initially Ciba, has operated on the South Humber Bank site for nearly 70 years.
In a statement about his announcement, Mr Johnson said he brings "a depth of experience in production, engineering and supply chain to the role". He was worked as process unit head and head of engineering, and previously acted as site head on an interim basis in 2014.
No mention of the closure was made, with the company confirming recently it was still working to a December 2020 departure.
Mrs Chiaramitara came to Grimsby in January 2017, with production and human resources experience, replacing Anne Wirtz.
