Leadership Changes Announced in Merck Family Board Elections

Leadership Changes Announced in Merck Family Board Elections

(IN BRIEF) E. Merck KG, representing the Merck family’s interests in Merck KGaA, has disclosed the results of its regular board elections. Johannes Baillou, with 30 years of board experience at E. Merck KG, has been elected as Chairman of the Family Board, succeeding Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, who has reached the mandatory retirement age. Professor Dr. Simon Thelen, a hand surgery specialist, was elected Vice Chairman of the Family Board and Board of Partners, representing the next generation of the Merck family. Dr. Wolfgang Büchele, bringing extensive industrial and entrepreneurial experience, was elected Chairman of the Board of Partners, and he will step down from his current roles in Merck KGaA. These changes reflect the family’s commitment to shaping the future of Merck KGaA, now in its 12th generation, and ensuring continuity in leadership.

(PRESS RELEASE) DARMSTADT, 29-Jan-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — E. Merck KG, the company through which the Merck family holds around 70 percent of Merck KGaA, today announced the results of its regular board elections held this past weekend.

Johannes Baillou (58) was elected Chairman of the Family Board, which represents the Merck family’s entrepreneurial interests. Baillou has 30 years of Board experience at E. Merck KG. First elected to the Family Board in 1994, he became Vice Chairman of the Board of Partners in 2009 and Chairman in 2014. That year, he was also elected Vice Chairman of the Family Board and Executive Board of E. Merck KG.

Johannes Baillou succeeds Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp (75), with whom he has worked side by side for ten years and who has reached the mandatory retirement age. He had been Chairman of the Family Board and Executive Board of E. Merck KG since 2014.

Professor Dr. Simon Thelen (44) was elected Vice Chairman of the Family Board and Board of Partners of E. Merck KG. He has been a member of the Board of Partners since 2019 and was first elected its Vice Chairman in 2021. Thelen is a physician specializing in hand surgery and an adjunct professor of medicine.

“Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp has devoted four decades of service to Merck,” said Johannes Baillou. “The partners thank him wholeheartedly for the clarity, courage and care with which he has guided our company and led our family. At the same time, I am delighted that with Professor Dr. Simon Thelen, the next generation of our family is increasingly seizing the opportunity to shape the future of Merck and continuing a practice that is now in the 12th generation. This underscores the family’s unwavering commitment.”

In addition to the new Chairman Johannes Baillou, the family elected their 11 further representatives to the Family Board.

The Family Board, in turn, elected the nine members of the Board of Partners of E. Merck KG, which is comparable to the supervisory board of a German stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft) and is composed of family members as well as non-family members.

Dr. Wolfgang Büchele (64) was elected Chairman of the Board of Partners. “Dr. Wolfgang Büchele brings a wealth of industrial and entrepreneurial experience. As an external and independent advisor to Merck for the past 15 years in his roles as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Merck KGaA and member of the Board of Partners of E. Merck KG, he understands our company very well,” said Johannes Baillou.

Consequently, Dr. Wolfgang Büchele will step down as Chairman and member of the Supervisory Board of Merck KGaA prior to this year’s Annual General Meeting. The Supervisory Board will elect a new Chair without delay.

The following representatives were elected to the Board of Partners:

Family representatives:

Johannes Baillou (58), Dr. Katharina Kraft (41), Carl Christoph Schweickert (42), Dr. Daniel Thelen (49), Prof. Dr. Simon Thelen (44)

External and independent representatives: 

Dr. Wolfgang Büchele (64), Michael Kleinemeier (66), Dr. Susanne Schaffert (57), André Wyss (56)

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About E. Merck KG

As general partner, E. Merck KG holds around 70 percent of the total capital of Merck KGaA. Shareholders hold the remainder, which is divided into shares. E. Merck KG does not participate in the management of the company, it makes the fundamental entrepreneurial decisions of the Merck Group. The Merck family holds 99.9 percent of the capital of E. Merck KG; the remaining interests are held by the members of the Executive Board of Merck. For more information about the different bodies of E. Merck KG, please click here.

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 64,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2022, Merck generated sales of € 22.2 billion in 66 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.

Media Contact:

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SOURCE: Merck