Wes Wheeler

Biography

  Wes Wheeler is the Chief Executive Officer of Marken, a leading global supply chain service provider to the life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. Wes was recruited in 2011 to transform the company which has grown to 45 locations in 25 countries throughout the world. He was the driving force in the turnaround of Marken from a single product courier company to  the full service company it is today.  He was  behind his Board’s decision to sell the company in 2016, in a competitive process, which resulted in the UPS transaction in December. Wes joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1989 with Glaxo (now GlaxoSmithKline) and worked for 12 years, leaving the company in 2003 as Senior Vice President, Global Manufacturing & Supply. While at GSK, Wes was responsible for the  manufacturing merger of GlaxoWelcome and SmithKline Beecham. He has since served as CEO / President at four different companies, including Patheon, Valeant and DSM Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining GSK in 1989, he worked for 12 years as a project engineer for Exxon (now ExxonMobil). During Wes’ 39  year professional career, he has been involved in every key functional area in pharmaceuticals, including manufacturing, drug development, supply chain logistics, marketing, and engineering. Wes has lived and worked for many years in Europe and Asia in addition to his many posts in California, New Jersey and North Carolina. His combination of deep operational experience,  and many diverse roles as a leader and the challenges of working in many different cultures has provided Wes with a unique range of perspectives and skills required to transform and grow companies. Wes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Masters in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. He has two adult children and currently lives in North Carolina with his wife of 35 years.

Research Interest

Clinical Sciences