multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical concern, Corange Ltd., after Friday's annual general meeting of shareholders, when he was elected to the board, after a year's absence.

Corange Ltd. is a diversified international health care company with total sales of $3.5 billion in 1994. Its diagnostics and therapeutics divisions operate under the name of Boehringer Mannheim and its orthopaedic division under the DePuy name.

Mr. Engelhorn, the largest beneficial owner of Corange shares, previously served as company chairman 1985 to 1994. His new board will include Bermudian Mr. Michel Drew, president of International Services Ltd. Bermuda, who recently retired from Schroders (Bermuda) Ltd., the subsidiary of the British merchant and investment banking group, Schroders Plc.

Other board members include the vice chairman, Mr. Anthony Williams, chairman of Coudert Brothers; president and CEO of DePuy-Orthopaedics, Mr. James A.

Lent; and, president and CEO of Boehringer Mannheim-Therapeutics, Mr. Gerald Moeller.

Mr. Moeller has also been appointed to the post of president and CEO of Boehringer Mannheim-Diagnostics.

The company said yesterday that the former board, that had been in place for the last year, "helped the company to get back on track in culture, strategies and operations.

"This was achieved under difficult circumstances by the broadly based board headed by Helmut Determann.'' The firm said that to successfully manage the future, a targeted management approach will now be necessary, emphasising the companies Boehringer Mannheim and DePuy.

Mr. Engelhorn stated that the dramatic changes in health care systems worldwide and the tremendous opportunities in the field of applied biomedicine reinforced his management philosophy of returning the companies to their core concentrations, while focusing on their customers.

He said that the new smaller board, by necessity, would push down operating decisions to senior management creating more of a rapid response to worldwide customer needs.

Mr. Engelhorn said, "We will endeavour to remove any and all internal obstacles to allow our employees to achieve this.'' There has been a substantial reorientation of the company over the last year, after Mr. Engelhorn won a landmark legal battle for the control over company shares that he put in trust for his family.

The dramatic victory came a year ago when a Bermuda Supreme Court judge ruled that the trust's protector could move the trusts from one local trust company to another, thus securing the voting rights of the shares contained within the trusts for a crucial vote at an annual general meeting, days later.

As a result of the legal victory, the board of directors and the management team were later replaced. The move came after dissatisfaction was expressed by the owners at decisions being taken by the company, and uncustomary labour unrest within the ranks of some 20,000 staff worldwide.