SMITHKLINE-BECKMAN CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, GEORGE EBRIGHT, 47

SMITHKLINE-BECKMAN CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, GEORGE EBRIGHT, 47, comes most recently from the diagnostic and analytical products side of the company. Ebright's promotion from exec VP, effective July 1, fills a gap in the SmithKline top management group, which has been open for almost four years. In 1982, President Henry Wendt gave up the chief operating title to move to chief executive officer. The company has had a group of exec VPs reporting directly to Wendt. Most recently that group consisted of Ebright, Alan Dalby (pharmaceuticals), Curt Reiss (financial), and Gavin Herbert (eye and skin care). Reiss and Herbert will remain as exec VPs; Dalby has announced his intention to retire in 1987. Ebright will have five businesses reporting to him: Smith Kline & French Labs; SmithKline Animal Health Products; SmithKline Consumer Products; Beckman Instruments and SmithKline Bio-Science Labs. President Wendt will have two areas reporting directly to him: eye and skin care and pharmaceutical R&D. The decision to keep top management oversight of pharmaceutical R&D under Wendt reflects the company's view of the strategic importance of the large investment decisions. The division of responsibilities between Wendt and Ebright indicates an attempt to give one of the members of the top management team the broader perspective responsibility for R&D while placing oversight of the tactical marketing and operational decisions with the other members of the group. Ebright has been with SmithKline for 23 years: four of those years have been spent directly involved in the pharmaceutical business. His last position in the drug side of the business was as VP-business planning for SK&F Labs in 1975. After heading Norden (animal drugs) in 1976, Ebright served as president of the larger Animal Health Products business through 1981. For the last five years, Ebright has been in charge of several of SmithKline's major diversification businesses. As exec VP of the Industrial Group in 1983-1984, Ebright engineered the divestiture of that business. In his next job, as exec VP of the Diagnostic and Analytical Group, he had top responsibility for the expansion of the clinical labs business (through the joint venture arrangement with American Hospital Supply). He also was in charge of the revamping of the Beckman instrumentation business. From the top spot in the analytical and diagnostic business, Ebright worked with current U.S. Pharmaceutical President James Cavanaugh on the clinical lab venture. Ebright is a Smithkline board member and has represented the company on the Health Industry Manufacturers Association. Dalby will remain a SmithKline board member, the company said. Dalby has been the SmithKline representative on the PMA board.