PITTSBURGH — Clark Brown, vice president of sales in the U.S. organization at GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare North America, is leaving the company.

GSK said this week that Brown is departing the company "to pursue opportunities outside of the organization."

In a statement, the 25-year GSK veteran said, "GSK has been a great company to be part of, and I am proud to have had the opportunity to work alongside so many outstanding people. I want to extend my deepest appreciation to those I have built partnerships with over the years, both internal and external, that have made me proud to be a part of this industry."

Brown was appointed vice president of field sales in January 2005 and became vice president of U.S. sales in January 2010. He is responsible for the customer sales force in the United States. In that role, he also led the building, execution and delivery of annual business plans as well as directed people development initiatives for the U.S. consumer sales team, according to GSK.

Clark joined SmithKline Beecham in 1986 as a territory manager and throughout his tenure has held several internal positions and senior management sales positions, the company said.

During his time at GSK, Clark played a key role in five Rx-to-OTC switches, created the first U.S. customer segmentation model and played an important role in the development of the company’s current talent management strategy for the sales organization, GSK noted.

"Clark has been a valuable team member throughout his many years with GSK, and his passion and effective leadership of the U.S. consumer sales team has been critical to the success of our business," stated Colin Mackenzie, president of GSK Consumer Healthcare North America. "While his contributions to our organization will certainly be missed, we wish him all of the best in his future endeavors."