NORTHBROOK, Ill., Aug. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas today announced that Rodrigo Fernandez has been promoted to vice president, Latin America, based in Northbrook and reporting to Percival Barretto-Ko, president, Astellas Americas. Fernandez previously served as executive director of Astellas' International Business with responsibility for managing Astellas' business in Latin America outside of Brazil and Colombia.

In his new role, Fernandez will be responsible for leading Astellas' operations and continued growth across Latin America. João Carlos Britto, general manager of Astellas Farma Brasil and Sandra Cifuentes, general manager of Astellas Farma Colombia will now report to Fernandez, along with the International Business team.

"Astellas is deeply committed to delivering and creating value through products that serve patients across nearly 20 countries in Latin America," said Barretto-Ko. "I'm confident that Rodrigo's deep experience, collaborative approach and track record at Astellas will position the company well as we build for the future."

A native of Costa Rica, Fernandez has more than 20 years of global pharmaceutical experience. Prior to Astellas, he led AstraZeneca's business as country president in Central America, the Caribbean, Ecuador and Peru. Since 2004, Fernandez also served in various roles of increasing responsibility at AstraZeneca, including country manager and marketing company president for Slovenia and the West Balkans and global and regional commercial lead roles for various therapeutic areas. Fernandez holds a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Costa Rica and various executive certifications.

About Astellas

Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at http://www.astellas.us/. You can also follow us on Twitter at @AstellasUS, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AstellasUS or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/astellas-pharma.

SOURCE Astellas