The Supervisory Board of Bayer AG has appointed Bill Anderson to become CEO of Bayer,
Leverkusen, February 8, 2023 – The Supervisory Board of Bayer AG has appointed Bill Anderson to become CEO of Bayer, effective June 1, 2023. He will join Bayer as a member of the Board of Management on April 1, 2023. Bil l Anderson was elected unanimously after a thorough selection process which began mid last year. Werner Bau mann (60), current CEO of Bayer, will work closely with him on a smooth transition before retiring from Bayer af ter 35 years of service at the end of May 2023.
Bill Anderson (56), a chemical engineer by education, has served in various leadership positions in the life scienc e industry over the past 25 years. Most recently, he served as CEO of Roche’s Pharmaceuticals Division, where h e successfully led a comprehensive transformation program which resulted in many successful new product lau nches, significant revenue growth, and greater productivity across the organization. Before this role, Anderson was CEO of Genentech, one of the pioneering companies in the biotech field.
Previously, Bill Anderson held several senior leadership positions in general management, product development, and finance at Biogen, another innovation leader in the biotech sphere, and Raychem, an American technology an d electronics company. During his time at Biogen, Genentech, and Roche, Anderson was involved in the devel opment and launch of 25 new medicines, including 15 blockbusters. In addition to his native country, the United States, Bill Anderson has lived and worked in several European countries with postings in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. In his new role, he will be based in Leverkusen, Germany.
“We are very excited to welcome Bill Anderson as new CEO of Bayer. He is the ideal candidate to lead Bayer tog ether with the team into a new, successful chapter at a time of a disruptive innovation cycle in biology, chemistr y, and artificial intelligence. Bill has an outstanding track record of building strong product pipelines and turning biotech breakthroughs into products. Beyond that, he is a truly transformational leader who creates a culture th at propels innovation, boosts productivity and performance, and allows people to thrive,” said Prof. Dr. Norbert Winkeljohann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayer AG. “Bill Anderson’s mission is clear: enable Bayer to realize its full potential and create sustainable value for our shareholders, farmers, patients, consumers, employ ees, and all stakeholders of the company.”
Winkeljohann continued: “On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would also like to sincerely thank Werner Baumann for 35 years of dedicated service with Bayer, including seven years as CEO. Today, Bayer is a leading lif e science company with outstanding innovation capabilities in health and nutrition, well positioned in highly attr active growth markets. The recent successful operational performance is clear proof that Bayer stands on a very strong foundation. We wish Werner Baumann all the very best in his future endeavors.”
The new CEO-elect, Bill Anderson, said: “Bayer is an innovative company that is already delivering tremendous benefits for the nutrition, health, and environmental protection of the world. Its leading R&D investments in agr iculture, medicines and consumer health hold the promise for additional breakthroughs. I look forward to worki ng with the people of Bayer to accelerate innovation, increase performance, advance sustainability, and unleash the full potential of the company.”
Heike Hausfeld, Vice Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board and Chairwoman of the Bayer Central Works Coun cil said: “There is a long-lasting and strong partnership between the Works Council and Bayer’s management, wh ich is a foundational element of the company’s governance and success. We thank Werner Baumann for the trus tful collaboration over the years and wish him all the best in the future. We had tough debates on a number of to pics – and ultimately, we were able to advance a lot for Bayer together. In our conversations, Bill’s commitment t o Bayer’s employees, its purpose “Science for a better life” and its vision “Health for all, hunger for none” was evi dent. I am confident that the close partnership with him as CEO and the Works Council will continue.”
Bill Anderson holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas, and Master of Sc ience degrees in Chemical Engineering and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Bill Anderson is married and has three children,
Future Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG (effective June 1st, 2023)
William N. (Bill) Anderson, born in 1966, is an American chemical engineer an d senior executive. He holds a Bach elor of Science degree from the Universit y of Texas and a Master of Science degree from the Massachusetts Inst itute of Technology (MIT), both in Chemical Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Management from MIT’s Sloan School.
Bill started his professional career in 1989 at Ethyl Corporation, a U.S.-based fuel additives company, with postin gs in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 19 95, he joined Raychem Corporation, an American technology and electr onics firm. In 1997, Bill took up work for Biogen Idec, today simply known as Biogen, an American biotechnology firm. After serving in various leadership roles, Bill was appointed Vice President and General Manager of Bioge n’s Neurology Unit, the company’s large st business unit. Bill joined Genentech, a pioneering American biotechn ology company, eventually serving as Se nior Vice President in the firm’s BioOncology Unit in 2010.
He left this role in 2013 to join Roche Pharmaceuticals, the parent company of Genentech, as Head of Global Pro duct Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer. After serving in this position until 2016, he moved back to Genentech to assume the position of Head of North American Operations before becoming CEO of the company in 2017.
In 2019, Bill became CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals. Based in Switzerland, he oversaw a comprehensive transfor mation program at the division that resulted in significant increases in productivity and revenue growth despite a major impact of patent losses. In his four years in the position, Bill led the launch of multiple new products that were commercially successful. Bill is married and the father of three adult children.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its prod ucts and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major cha llenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable develop m ent and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion eu ros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bay er management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differ ences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
