Merck Names Michael Holston GC Successor

Merck announced that it has appointed Michael Holston as general counsel, effective July 01, 2015. Holston, who will also oversee responsibility for Merck’s communications, policy and security organizations beginning July 1 of this year, will succeed Bruce N. Kuhlik upon his retirement after ten years with the company. Holston will remain in his role as chief ethics and compliance officer during the transition period. Holston joined Merck in 2012 as the company’s chief ethics and compliance officer. He was previously general counsel for Hewlett-Packard. Prior to that, Holston was a partner in the law firm of Morgan, Lewis and Bockius. Earlier in his career, Holston was a prosecutor in the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia and a partner in the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath, where he had a national litigation practice.