Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company has appointed Michael Harrington as general counsel and senior vice president, effective Jan. 1, 2013. He will assume this position from Robert Armitage, who will retire at the end of the year.

Harrington currently serves as the company's deputy general counsel and vice president, responsible for legal function across the five business units. He will serve on the executive committee when he steps into his new role.

Harrington joined the company in 1991 and has served in a number of business and legal positions, including managing director of Eli Lilly New Zealand, general counsel for the Asia-Pacific operations and deputy general counsel with responsibility for all litigation, manufacturing, environmental and human resources matters.

Armitage joined the company in 1999 as general patent counsel and vice president of Lilly Research Laboratories. For the last decade, he has overseen the global legal department as general counsel.