US animal health company Elanco has promoted deputy general counsel Shiv O’Neill to GC on a permanent basis, having served as interim since the departure of former GC Marcela Kirberger last year.

O’Neill has been at Elanco since 2021, joining as deputy GC for the US and then later for the Americas. In her new role, she will be responsible for the legal team’s global strategy and operations, as well as overseeing ethics, compliance and the company’s ESG efforts.

Indiana-based Elanco provides animal healthcare products for pets and farm animals such as vaccines and parasiticides to prevent and treat disease.

Jeff Simmons, Elanco’s president and CEO, said: “Shiv’s ability to deliver strategic value to Elanco in the short term serving as our interim general counsel combined with her robust experience made it clear that she was the right person for this role.”

He added: “Her deep understanding of Elanco’s legal operations, coupled with her broad experience in regulatory compliance, product safety and transactional matters, equips her to provide valuable leadership counsel to support the company’s strong operational integrity and current and long-term growth objectives.”

Prior to joining Elanco, O’Neill was a senior counsel at US engine-maker Cummins, where she was responsible for global litigation, product safety, crisis management and emissions compliance, among other matters. She previously spent 14 years at Faegre Drinker, six of them as partner.

She said: “We are at a pivotal moment in our company’s journey as we enter an exciting time of growth and new innovation, and I am pleased to play a role in shaping this next era for Elanco… Our collective aim is to launch products that will make a significant positive impact in the world, while generating sustainable value within the company and our local communities.”

Kirberger, meantime, left Elanco last November after two and half years with the company to join 3M Healthcare Group as chief legal officer. Prior to joining Elanco, she was GC at Roche and Leica Microsystems, and also had spells as global head of legal for biopharma at Sandoz and as lead counsel for Novartis’s primary care and established medicines business group, among other roles. She previously worked in private practice at Lowenstein Sandler.