Merck adds Paul J. Diaz to board of directors

Merck & Co., Inc. disclosed in an Oct. 13, 2026 8-K that Paul J. Diaz, managing partner at Cressey & Company, will join the company's board of directors effective Nov. 1, 2026.¹ He is set to stand for election by Merck shareholders in May 2027.¹ His addition brings the Merck board to 14 members.¹

Merck chairman and chief executive officer Rob Davis said the company is pleased to welcome Diaz, citing his leadership and business expertise in health care.¹

According to the filing, Diaz is a managing partner at Cressey & Company, a private investment firm that invests in and develops health care companies.¹ He previously served as president and chief executive officer of Myriad Genetics, Inc., a genetic testing and precision medicine company.¹ Before that role, he was president and chief executive officer of Kindred Healthcare, a Fortune 500 health care services company.¹ He also sits on the board of Centene Corporation, the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the Board of Visitors of the Georgetown University Law Center.¹ He holds a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting from American University and a J.D. from Georgetown University.¹

The filing states the board appointed Diaz to both the Audit Committee and the Research Committee.¹ Merck said Diaz's director pay will follow the company's standard non-employee director compensation terms, as outlined in its proxy statement filed April 8, 2026. The company also stated that Diaz was not elected under any arrangement with another party and has no related-party relationship with Merck requiring disclosure under SEC rules.