85.7 F
San Fernando
Friday, Mar 29, 2024
Array

Briefs: Simulations Plus, Obama, Disney

Simulations Plus Inc., a Lancaster developer of clinical-trial software for the pharmaceutical industry, announced on Friday that longtime Chief Financial Officer Momoko Bean has decided to retire Jan. 15. Bean had been with Simulations Plus prior to its spinoff and incorporation in 1996. John R. Kneisel, who the company said has three decades of business management experience, was appointed to replace her effective immediately. President Barack Obama is returning to Los Angeles next week and is scheduled to make an appearance at the Glendale campus of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg has been a major supporter of the president. The two met for dinner in Woodland Hills during an August visit by Obama. The Nov. 26 visit will include an economic speech by the president, who is coming to the area to raise contributions for Democratic candidates. The trip will include a fundraiser at the Beverly Hills home of billionaire and media mogul Haim Saban, a longtime Democratic supporter. Walt Disney Co. has switched ad agencies to handle its $800 million in annual media buying by its Disney Studios unit. The Burbank company hired OMD as the replacement for the 4D agency, owned by Publicis Groupe in Paris. OMD, based in New York, has a Los Angeles office that handles the accounts of Nissan Motor Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. It is a unit of Omnicom Media Group, also based in New York. Though Disney has scored at the box office with such hits as its “Iron Man” franchise, it also flopped spectacularly this year with the Johnny Depp vehicle “The Lone Ranger,” which had high marketing costs but failed to attract audiences.

Featured Articles

Related Articles