[Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR] Roche: Change in the Board of Directors and Corporate Executive Committee in Spring 2023
Roche (OTCQX: RHHBY) has announced significant leadership changes as Christoph Franz will not seek re-election as Chairman at the AGM on March 14, 2023. The Board intends to propose Severin Schwan as the new Chairman. Additionally, Thomas Schinecker, currently CEO of the Diagnostics Division, will assume the role of CEO on March 15, 2023, succeeding Schwan. Franz, who has been with Roche since 2011, highlighted the company's achievements and stability in shareholder structure during his tenure, particularly its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Severin Schwan and Thomas Schinecker appointed to new leadership roles, indicating strong succession planning.
- Schinecker's extensive experience in leadership positions at Roche positions the company for continued stability and growth.
- Concerns about the transition of leadership, which may affect operational continuity.
- Loss of Christoph Franz's long-term strategic vision after years of leadership.
- Christoph Franz has decided not to seek re-election to the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March 2023
- The Board of Directors intends to propose Severin Schwan as new Chairman at the Annual General Meeting
- The Board of Directors has appointed Thomas Schinecker as the new Roche CEO effective 15 March 2023
Basel, 21 July 2022 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that Christoph Franz has decided not to seek re-election to the Board of Directors at the AGM in March 2023. The Board of Directors intends to propose Severin Schwan as new Chairman at the AGM and has appointed Thomas Schinecker as new Roche CEO effective 15 March 2023.
Christoph Franz was elected to the Roche Board of Directors in 2011 and has served as its Chairman since 2014: ”After serving twelve years on the Board of Directors, nine of which as Chairman, I have decided not to seek re-election to the Board next year. We have achieved many important milestones and with the conclusion of Roche's 125th anniversary, it is now the right time for a change in leadership. I am proud of the significant contributions Roche has made in fighting the pandemic during the last two and a half years. I am also pleased that we could secure long term stability in our shareholder structure with the repurchase of Roche shares from Novartis. With the strong pipelines of innovative products in both our Pharma and Diagnostic businesses, we are set for continued growth in the future.”
The Roche Board of Directors will propose Severin Schwan as new Chairman at the AGM on 14 March 2023. Severin Schwan has been a member of the Corporate Executive Committee since 2006 and has served as CEO of the company since 2008. He has been a member of the Roche Board of Directors since 2013. Severin Schwan: ”I have very much appreciated the close and trusting collaboration with Christoph and would like to thank him. I am honoured to stand for the position of Chairman of the Roche Board of Directors and will continue to dedicate all my efforts to the future of this company.”
André Hoffmann, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and representative of the Oeri and Hoffmann shareholder group with pooled voting rights: “Thanks to Christoph’s long term strategic vision, he has steered our company confidently and successfully through challenging times. Roche’s continued success is in no small part due to his personal contributions. I would like to thank him sincerely, also in the name of our families. As in the past, we are able to secure the succession to the Chairman and CEO roles with excellent leaders from within Roche. This is a great quality of our company.”
Effective 15 March 2023, the Board of Directors has appointed Thomas Schinecker, currently CEO of the Diagnostics Division, as CEO of Roche succeeding Severin Schwan. Thomas Schinecker holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and has been working for Roche in different leadership positions since 2003. He became CEO of the Diagnostics Division and a member of the Corporate Executive Committee in August 2019.
Severin Schwan: ”I am very pleased that the Board has appointed Thomas as the new Roche CEO. He is a highly qualified successor who has been working for Roche in leadership positions around the globe for twenty years. Thomas successfully set up our Diagnostics Division for the future. Under his leadership our Diagnostics organisation also made considerable contributions in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Thomas Schinecker: “I am deeply honoured by the Board’s decision and the trust placed in me. I am delighted to carry on working closely with Roche colleagues and the Corporate Executive Committee. Like we’ve done for the last 125 years, I am excited about the future innovations we will bring to patients around the globe.”
About Roche
Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world’s largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice.
In recognising our endeavor to pursue a long-term perspective in all we do, Roche has been named one of the most sustainable companies in the pharmaceuticals industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the thirteenth consecutive year. This distinction also reflects our efforts to improve access to healthcare together with local partners in every country we work.
Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan.
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Roche Group Media Relations
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