Reading, Pa.- At approximately 1:30 p.m. on January 29, 2003, an explosion ripped through West Pharmaceutical Service’s elastomer manufacturing facility in Kinston, N.C. The explosion and ensuing fire resulted in numerous injured personnel, a total of six fatalities, and the loss of the plant.
Donald E. Morel Jr., Ph.D., West’s chairman and chief executive officer, will present a lecture, “Corporate Crisis Management: Lessons from the Center of the Storm” on Monday, October 25, 2010, at 4 p.m. in Albright College’s Campus Center, South Lounge. The event is free and open to the public.
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, Morel and West’s management team initiated a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan to allocate production, keep its customers informed and assist its employees and the local community. Morel will discuss the investigation into the cause of the accident and the leadership challenges faced by management over the ensuing 12 months. He will offer observations on dealing with multiple stakeholders, the media and the regulatory agencies simultaneously in real time.
Morel joined West in 1992 as director of research and development. He was elected to the Board of Directors in March 2002, named CEO in April 2002 and elected chairman of the board in March 2003. West is a global technology company that specializes in the development and manufacturing of packaging and delivery systems for the world’s leading pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology research companies.
For more information about the event or disabled assistance, please contact the College Relations Office at 610-921-7526. The Campus Center is located on the Albright College campus at 13th and Bern Streets in Reading, Pa.
Founded in 1856, Albright College is a nationally ranked, private college with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum with an interdisciplinary focus. The College’s hallmarks are connecting fields of learning, collaborative teaching and learning, and a flexible curriculum that allows students to create an individualized education. Two-thirds of students graduate with dual/individualized majors in more than 200 different combinations. Albright enrolls about 1,660 undergraduates in traditional programs, another 500 adult students in accelerated degree programs, and 100 students in the master’s program in education. Albright College is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, about 60 miles west of Philadelphia.
