Bayer’s supervisory board has responded to investor and shareholder demands by unanimously appointing Bill Anderson, an outsider, as their new CEO. Anderson will step into the role on June 1st, bringing with him a wave of fresh thinking and energy to the company.
Bayer recently underwent a leadership change, following pressure from activist investor Jeff Ubben. Ubben, the head of the investment fund Inclusive Capital Partners, had purchased a 0.83% stake in Bayer in early January, amounting to 8.18 million company shares. Ubben had been rallying fellow shareholders to push for significant leadership changes at Bayer, and his efforts have now been successful.
According to sources close to the situation, activist investor Jeff Ubben has been reaching out to Bayer’s institutional shareholders in an attempt to rally support for the ousting of current Bayer CEO Werner Baumann, and the appointment of an external candidate in his place.
In June, Roger Anderson will assume the role of Bayer’s CEO, but first he will join the company’s management board on April 1. Anderson is no stranger to the pharmaceutical industry. Before joining Bayer, he served as CEO at Roche’s Pharmaceuticals Division, as well as senior vice president at Genentech’s BioOncology unit and vice president and general manager at Biogen’s Neurology unit. With his wealth of experience, Anderson is sure to be an invaluable addition to the Bayer team.
Baumann, who has served with distinction at the company for a staggering 35 years, will be retiring in May. His tenure as chief executive has been a remarkable seven-year journey and he will be working closely with his successor, Anderson, to ensure a seamless transition.
After the appointment of Werner Baumann as the new CEO of Bayer, the company saw a 6% surge in its stock price. This marked a positive shift in the company’s fortunes, instilling confidence in the market and the new leadership.
Norbert Winkeljohann, chairman of Bayer’s supervisory board, believes that Anderson is the perfect candidate to lead the company in the face of disruptive industry innovations, given her impressive 25 years of life science industry leadership experience. With her expertise, Bayer is in a prime position to remain competitive in the ever-changing landscape.
Baumann Bows Out
In a historic move, Bayer took a major leap into the future of crop science with a $66 billion deal to acquire seed giant Monsanto in September 2016. CEO Werner Baumann heralded the buyout as a momentous occasion, stating that it establishes Bayer as a leader in the life sciences industry.
In the years following the acquisition, Bayer faced a massive legal challenge in the form of 42,000 lawsuits over Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, with settlement payments running into the billions. This fateful decision cost CEO Werner Baumann dearly, as he became the first German CEO to lose a shareholder vote of confidence in April 2019.
In September 2020, the Bayer supervisory board voted unanimously to extend CEO Werner Baumann’s term through April 2024, citing the company’s “strategic strength and robust operational performance” under his stewardship. Chairman of the Board of Management, Werner Wenkeljohann, lauded Baumann and the rest of the management team for their collective success in driving Bayer’s success.
Under his new term, Baumann was tasked with leading Bayer through the unprecedented difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and charting a course of sustainable growth and profitability. He was expected to create a brighter future for Bayer and ensure its continued success.
In March 2022, Temasek Holdings, a Singapore-based investment firm, and Swiss investment manager Alatus Capital issued a joint call for a new CEO at Bayer, expressing their dissatisfaction with the company’s performance under the leadership of current CEO Werner Baumann. This rare move highlights the need for a fresh direction at Bayer, as investors seek to ensure the company’s future success.
Investor pressure soon mounted on Bayer’s supervisory board, leading them to take decisive action in September 2022 when they announced they were beginning the search for a new successor to replace CEO Werner Baumann.