Massachusetts-based Charles River Laboratories International has announced planned management changes to be implemented over the course of 2015.

Following a transition period, Thomas F. Ackerman, corporate executive vice president and chief financial officer, will retire in February 2016. Ackerman joined Charles River in 1988 and became vice president and chief financial officer in 1996, elevated to his current position in 2005. He will provide periodic consulting services for one year following his retirement.

David R. Smith, corporate senior vice president, global discovery services, has been named Ackerman's successor. Smith joined Charles River through its acquisition of Argenta and BioFocus from Galapagos, where he was CEO of the Galapagos Services division. Smith spent eight years at PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining AstraZeneca in 1997.

Once Smith assumes his new role, Dr. Emily Hickey will be promoted to corporate senior vice president, global discovery services. Before joining Charles River, Hickey was executive director of in vivo pharmacology at Merck Research Labs, leading development and implementation of the externalization strategy for in vivo studies. Most recently, she was corporate vice president, in vivo discovery, overseeing CRL’s businesses in the U.S. and Europe. Dr. Katherine Hilyard, managing director, BioFocus DPI, will be promoted to corporate vice president, early discovery, assuming responsibility for the Argenta, BioFocus and ChanTest businesses.