Personal Data
Nationality
Austrian, German, Swiss
Year of Birth
1967
Education
Graduate in Economics, Doctorate in Law
Family status
Married, three children
Studies
Economics at University of Innsbruck, University of York and University of Oxford, Mag. rer.soc.oec. (Innsbruck, 1991)
Law at University of Innsbruck, Mag. iur. (Innsbruck, 1991)
Doctorate in Law at University of Innsbruck, Research studies at University Louvain, Belgium, Dr. iur. (Innsbruck, 1993)
Professional Career
1993-1995
Trainee at Corporate Finance, Roche Basel
1995-1998
Head Finance & Administration, Roche Brussels
1998-2000
Head Finance & Informatics at Roche Grenzach, Germany
2000-2004
Head Global Finance & Services, Roche Diagnostics, Basel
2004-2006
Head Region Asia Pacific, Roche Diagnostics Singapore
2006-2008
Chief Executive Officer Division Roche Diagnostics
2008-2023
Chief Executive Officer Roche Group
Other Activities / Memberships
since 2009
Member of the International Business Leaders Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai (IBLAC), since 2022 Vice Chairman
since 2013
Member of the Board of Directors of Roche Holding Ltd.
since 14 March 2023
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Roche Holding Ltd.
Board Memberships in listed companies
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What inspires you?
“We are fortunate to be able to make a meaningful difference in the fight against COVID-19. This is what really inspires me about Roche: the impact we can make on people’s lives.”
The Roche culture
“Roche has faced and overcome many challenges in its near 125 years. I believe the solidarity and community we are experiencing now will bring us closer together, and there is no doubt that we will come out of this even stronger.”
Excellence in science
“Roche uses a large number of research approaches to develop new medicines. Our new engagement in gene therapy brings hope to people with rare diseases in particular.”
How to foster innovation
“Scientific success cannot be programmed, but we can create the conditions that will allow it to happen: being open to new ideas, having the courage to take risks; our researchers need to have the freedom to work on their ideas and above all, they need a positive space in which ideas are shared and independent thinking is encouraged.”
How do you cope with stress?
“I believe the ‘everyday’ pressure only turns into stress if you feel that the world will stop turning if you’re not around. However, of course the world does keep on turning. Not overestimating your own importance helps you to do your job effectively.”
The courage to fail
“There’s no success without failure! When you’re pursuing ground-breaking innovation, setbacks go with the territory. Unless you have the courage to fail, you’ll never succeed. It is my strong belief that we should celebrate our failures just as we celebrate our successes.”
Personalised healthcare
"I am very optimistic about the future. We have an outstanding pipeline and – thanks to our combination of pharma and diagnostics with data science – a very good opportunity to make significant advances in personalised healthcare."
Access to healthcare
“We want to ensure that everyone has access to our diagnostic solutions and medicines. I am proud that Roche was one of the first companies to introduce differentiated pricing. Solidarity between the rich and poor countries is essential to improving access around the world.”