Procaps Names Jose Antonio Vieira as New CEO

Effective January 15 of next yer, José Antonio Vieira will replace Ruben Minski as chief executive officer of Latin American health and pharma company Procaps Group (NASDAQ: PROC), the company announced late last month.

Photo: José Antonio Vieira, new CEO of Procaps. (Photo credit: Procaps)

Minski, who is a founder in addition to his prior role of CEO, will continue to serve the company as executive chairman of the board.

Vieira has worked for decades at companies including Novartis, Abbvie, and AstraZeneca in Brazil, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In announcing the appointment, Procaps outlined his experience, including:

• Vieira started his career at Novartis, where he held various commercial positions in Brazil and Portugal and later was appointed as country president for Brazil.
• He worked for Allergan Brazil as general manager.
• He joined AstraZeneca Brazil as country president and held a similar position for Australia and New Zealand, before becoming global commercial VP in London.
• He worked for Abbvie in Brazil.
• For Patria Investimentos, he served as operating partner responsible for healthcare companies such as Natulab, Víncula and Farmácias Independentes, where he serves as Chairman of the Board.
• He is a member of the board of directors of Elfa Medicamentos, where he previously served as CEO for nearly three years.

“I’m honored with this new challenge and I am eager to lead the next chapter of Procaps as CEO,” said Vieira in a statement. “Procaps is a unique company with tremendous potential. I am excited about the opportunity to lead this exceptional team and build upon the legacy of innovation and excellence established by Ruben. Together with the talented individuals at Procaps, we will continue to advance our mission of improving lives through pharmaceutical solutions.”

In announcing the transition, the company also paid tribute to its founder.

“After over 45 years of visionary leadership and dedicated service,” stated Procaps, “Ruben Minski has played a pivotal role in Procaps’ growth and success, transforming it into a global leader in pharmaceutical innovation. Under his guidance, Procaps has achieved numerous milestones, and positively impacting countless lives.”

“The board of directors expresses its deep gratitude to Ruben Minski for his unwavering commitment and outstanding leadership throughout the years,” added the company. “The decision to transition to the role of executive chairman reflects a thoughtful and deliberate succession planning process, as previously announced in February this year.”

“In his role as executive chairman of the board, Ruben Minski will continue to provide strategic guidance, drawing upon his wealth of experience and industry knowledge. This transition underscores Procaps’ commitment to sustained success and its dedication to delivering value to shareholders.”