QIAGEN announces CEO leadership transition

Peer M. Schatz to step down as CEO

08-Oct-2019 - Netherlands

QIAGEN N.V. announced that Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer, has notified the Company that, after 27 years at QIAGEN, he has decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Management Board. He will remain with QIAGEN as Special Advisor to the Supervisory Board and transition into this role in the coming weeks. The Supervisory Board will now start a search for a permanent CEO. In the meantime, Thierry Bernard, Senior Vice President, Head of Molecular Diagnostics Business Area, will now act as interim CEO and work in tandem with Roland Sackers, Chief Financial Officer.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve as the CEO of QIAGEN for such a long time. I am incredibly proud of the market and technology leadership that we have created and what our teams and partners have accomplished together,” said Peer M. Schatz. “QIAGEN has contributed to modern molecular biology in a way very few companies have had the honor to do. We can build on a strong culture of openness, agility and dedication to ensuring that our customers can rely on our premier solutions to gain superior molecular insights.

“Our Life Sciences portfolio is facing accelerating growth, our Molecular Diagnostics portfolio is today second to none in terms of competitive profile, and now strengthened by our new strategic partnership with Illumina, and our bioinformatics portfolio has taken a strong and industry-defining position in digital solutions to gain molecular insights. We have a lot of opportunities and are entering into a new chapter of the QIAGEN growth story.

“And this is why, after 27 fantastic years at QIAGEN, I now see a natural inflection point to bring in new leadership and will support this process. I am looking forward to new opportunities and challenges, and while these will be outside of QIAGEN, I am fully convinced of the Company’s prosperous future and intend to remain a significant shareholder. I would like to thank all employees, customers, partners, stakeholders as well as the Executive Committee and the Supervisory Board for their tremendous contributions, loyalty and support during these decades in which biology transformed everyday life and is poised to fulfill its promise as the transformational science of this century.”

Dr. Håkan Björklund, Chairman of the QIAGEN Supervisory Board, said: “I know that I speak for everyone at QIAGEN in thanking Peer Schatz for his exceptional contributions and dedication to the Company. We all owe him tremendous gratitude for his outstanding leadership and track record that have contributed to the creation of a true success story in the life sciences industry and enabled such great advances in science and healthcare. We respect his decision to pursue other interests. We are, however, pleased that he will remain involved with QIAGEN as a Special Advisor and sharing his in-depth knowledge, extensive network and experience. We want to thank Thierry Bernard for accepting this interim role, providing leadership during this transition and working closely in tandem with Roland Sackers.”

Peer Schatz was one of the first employees of QIAGEN, and since 1993 has shaped an entrepreneurial, global leader that has an omnipresent role in molecular biology, a fundamental scientific revolution that is rapidly changing the world. Under Peer Schatz’s leadership, QIAGEN grew from $2 million of sales in 1993 to the current level of about $1.6 billion, while the market capitalization has increased by over 300 times and its employee base has grown from 25 employees to more than 5,200 today with a presence in over 35 countries. QIAGEN was also the first German company to transact an initial public offering and listing on NASDAQ in 1996.

https://www.analytica-world.com/en/news/1163120/qiagen-announces-ceo-leadership-transition.html