Chiesi Farmaceutici, just weeks after tucking in Amryt Pharma for $1.5 billion, has appointed a new group CEO, former Baxter executive Giuseppe Accogli, the Italian pharma company said Monday. 

Accogli is set to join Chiesi effective April 3 following an international search to replace former CEO Ugo Di Francesco, who served from 2011 through the end of 2022. The incoming chief exec spent more than 15 years at Baxter, rising to the role of chief operating officer. 

Prior to that, Accogli held positions of increasing responsibility at Medtronic and Covidien (née Tyco Healthcare). He brings 25 years of experience spanning the U.S. and European markets, and.across multiple disciplines, from sales and marketing to research and development, mergers and acquisitions, strategy and product innovation. 

Accogli said he looks forward to leading the family-owned company into its “new stages of growth.” Alberto Chiesi, president of Chiesi Group, hailed Accogli’s ability to “take us into our next phase of growth and innovation.”

In contrast to Baxter, which is in the midst of breaking itself up by spinning off its kidney care divisions, Chiesi has been in acquisition mode lately. Earlier this year, the firm, headquartered in Parma, Italy, bought Ireland-based Amryt in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.5 billion, adding several rare disease drugs to its portfolio. 

The deal included upfront consideration of $1.25 billion, along with certain milestones for Amryt’s Filsuvez, which is approved in Europe for epidermolysis bullosa. Amryt’s other marketed drugs are Juxtapid, for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, Myalept for lipodystrophy, and Mycapssa for acromegaly. The deal is expected to close by the end of the first half of this year.

When he assumes the helm in a few months, Accogli will take over for Marco Vecchia, who has been acting CEO, head of global strategy & corporate development, as well as head of legal & corporate affairs. Vecchia will continue in the latter role.

Eighty-five-year-old Chiesi operates in 30 countries and has more than 6,000 employees. Besides the group’s new R&D center in Parma, it maintains six other R&D hubs: in France, the U.S., Canada, China, U.K. and Sweden.