David Strachan has been appointed head of the avian and swine business unit following Boehringer Ingelheim’s acquisition of Merial Animal Health.
Dr. Strachan has worked for Boehringer Ingelheim’s swine division for the past eleven years, spending the last seven as the head of business unit. He specialized in the swine sector with a main interest in infectious disease surveillance and control, areas key to both the swine and avian sectors.
For the past fifteen years both Merial Animal Health and Boehringer Ingelheim’s avian and swine departments have focused on the production of innovative vaccines. Dr. Strachan believes this makes them perfectly matched in terms of vision and ethos for the future. He says:
“The continuing focus for the avian team fits well with our overarching theme of ‘prevention works.’ This is embodied in our continued investment in research into new vaccines.
There is growing awareness among customers, in both the avian and swine sectors, of the costs of individual diseases in terms of their effect on production. Subsequently, there is an increasing focus on the return on investment of various intervention measures, especially in relation to the reduction of antibiotic use. The team at Boehringer Ingelheim is well placed to help vets and producers find practical solutions in this area.”
Dr. Strachan studied for his BSc at Glasgow University, followed by a PhD in immunological research, before moving on to The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He subsequently attended veterinary college at Cambridge University, before joining Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. Strachan also spent ten years with the SAC Veterinary Investigation Service, in Aberdeen. His appointment as the head of avian and swine is the culmination of a career focusing on infectious disease and disease control.
Dr. Strachan says: “I want to build on the success of Boehringer Ingelheim and Merial’s enviable heritage in the global avian and swine sectors by developing the individual departments’ reputations, ensuring that the combined business remains a trusted partner in providing solutions for disease control.”
