Senior Covetrus exec leaves the company in continuing shake-up

Photo / William Hall Covetrus, whose Portland headquarters are shown here, said Tuesday that its North American president is leaving the company.

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By Staff

Senior management changes continue at Covetrus Inc. (Nasdaq: CVET), the Portland-based animal-health company that has seen repeated turnover in its C suite over the past few months.

Covetrus’ North American president and global supply chain officer, Matthew Leonard, will leave his role and become an advisor to the company, according to a news release Tuesday. Covetrus did not disclose the reason for Leonard’s departure.

The company has promoted three other senior executives.

Mike Ellis, who heads Covetrus operations in Europe, now takes on Leonard’s duties for the North American market, and has been promoted to executive vice president. David Hinton, who leads Covetrus in Asia-Pacific and emerging markets, has added global sourcing to his responsibilities and has also been promoted to executive vice president.

In addition, Georgia Wraight has been promoted to EVP in charge of the Covetrus Global Technology Solutions organization, which was formed in November from its software and prescription management business units.

Leonard’s leaving comes less than a month after Covetrus announced that its chief financial officer, Christine T. Komola, was stepping down. In September, she, Covetrus and then-president and CEO Benjamin Shaw were sued by investors who claimed the company and the two executives made false and misleading statements before Covetrus went public in February.

Among the investors' allegations: a claim that Covetrus overstated its ability to manage a global supply chain.

Shaw resigned in October. His father, David Shaw, who served as chairman of Covetrus, resigned in September from that role but remains a member of the Covetrus board.

Philip A. Laskawy is now chairman of the company, and Benjamin Shaw has been replaced by Benjamin Wolin, now acting president and CEO. Komola has been replaced by Stuart B. Gleichenhaus on an interim basis.

Covetrus, a worldwide provider of animal-health products, services and technology, has 5,500 employees including about 300 in Portland. The company was formed by the merger of Portland-based Vets First Choice, founded by the Shaws in 2010, and the veterinary products business of Henry Schein Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) in Melville, N.Y.