CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- COPAN Group announces the departure of Norman Sharples, Chief Executive Officer of Copan Diagnostics, from the Company he co-founded with Daniele Triva in 1994 and the appointment of Fabrizio Mazzocchi as new CEO and member of Copan Diagnostics' board of directors effective from January 9^th, 2023.

"I leave behind an organization I dearly love and created from the ground up, as its first employee, to represent the subsidiary for the Americas of the Italian COPAN Group. I am proud of our achievements, our team, and the impact we have had on collection and transport systems and on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for full laboratory automation in clinical Microbiology. It has been a privilege to serve as COPAN Diagnostics CEO and member of the board for almost three decades. The decision to leave was a very difficult one. My focus will be on supporting a smooth transition during 2023 and getting the organization ready to welcome in the new leadership," stated Sharples. 

"It is with a mix of sadness and gratitude that we communicate this change in leadership. In the Americas, working together with Norman and his vision, we have changed the world of sample collection and transport and full laboratory automation, launching iconic brands, such as eSwab®, FLOQSwabs®, UTM® WASP®, WASPLab® and PhenoMATRIX®. Norman leaves behind a fantastic legacy, including an exciting and ambitious strategy, which his strong executive team and talented staff will drive forward under the leadership of the new CEO. We are grateful for the years we had the pleasure of working together in making COPAN what it is today," Stefania Triva, COPAN Group's CEO states. "We warmly and enthusiastically welcome Fabrizio, and we believe his broad and extensive experience as a business leader in the healthcare industry will be very valuable for COPAN to continue our commitment in the US market to strengthen our partnership with customers and provide innovative solutions in the area of specimen collection and laboratory automation," concluded Triva.

Fabrizio Mazzocchi brings 30 years of global experience in the Health Care sector to this position. He's spent over 20 years at Merck KGaA with increasing executive leading responsibility in Sales, Marketing, Medical Affairs and Commercial, in Europe, Latin America and USA. Fabrizio started his professional career in R&D, and he holds a master's degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology from the University of Milan.

"It's an honor for me to join COPAN Diagnostics and be part of COPAN. I look forward to leading a team dedicated to building value for our customers, through continuous innovation, accomplishing our purpose to help healthcare providers to make the best clinical decision for the benefit of the patients," said Mazzocchi.

About COPAN Diagnostics, Inc.

COPAN Diagnostics is part of COPAN Group, a leading manufacturer of collection and transport systems and full laboratory automation. COPAN's collaborative approach to pre-analytics has resulted in FLOQSwabs®, ESwab®, UTM Universal Transport Medium®, laboratory automation including WASP® and WASPLab®. For more information, visit www.copanusa.com.