President and CEO Fereydoun Firouz of Mass.-based EMD Serono, an affiliate of Merck, has resigned from his position following two decades of dedicated service to EMD Serono. Firouz has independently decided to pursue other professional opportunities. James Hoyes, who is currently chief commercial officer at EMD Serono, will serve as acting head of the organization on an ad interim basis.

Firouz began his career with Serono in 1989 as a government affairs associate in the company's Washington, DC office.  He progressed into positions of increasing responsibility before taking the role of president and CEO of U.S. operations in 2003. During his tenure as president and CEO of EMD Serono, Firouz tripled the revenues and capabilities of the U.S. organization, instilling pride, integrity and purpose amongst the employee base with a focus on advancing science and medicine, impacting the health of patients, being a leader, and contributing to society in a meaningful way.