Pharmaceuticals firm Eli Lilly announced the appointment of Alonzo Weems as senior vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer amid a series of executive-level transitions.

Weems, presently vice president and deputy general counsel, will succeed Melissa Barnes upon her retirement June 27 after more than 26 years with the company. Weems will report to Chairman and CEO David Ricks and will also join Eli Lilly’s executive committee.

“Melissa has been a trusted partner to me, our board and her colleagues, leading ethics and compliance and enterprise risk management for nearly a decade,” said Ricks in a press release. “… Melissa’s leadership helped reinforce the values ingrained by our founder and ensured we continually meet and exceed the expectations of our customers.”

Prior to joining Eli Lilly in 1997, Weems was an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board. He has held roles of increasing responsibility at Eli Lilly, including general counsel of Lilly Canada; general counsel for Lilly USA; and general counsel for the global Bio-Medicines and Diabetes business units, which included responsibilities for legal teams in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, and Japan. In his current role, Weems is responsible for the corporate legal functions, which includes commercial transactions, litigation, regulatory, and human resources.

Also announced was the appointment of Edgardo Hernandez as senior vice president and president of Lilly manufacturing operations. Hernandez, who currently serves as senior vice president, global parenteral drug product and device manufacturing, succeeds Myles O’Neill, who will retire May 2 after nearly 19 years of service with the company. Hernandez will also report to Ricks and join the executive committee.

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