04. Januar 2024 Evotec announces CEO transition

Werner Lanthaler will support a smooth and prompt transition of ongoing projects in the coming weeks. He will continue to be available as a strategic advisor to the company’s Supervisory Board, especially in the company’s activities for better access to medicines in Africa and less developed countries in Asia.

The Supervisory Board has started an internal and external search for a permanent CEO. In the meantime, Dr Mario Polywka, currently Supervisory Board member and former COO of Evotec, agreed to serve as interim CEO.

The company sees itself on a strong path, especially based on its paradigm-shifting technologies, such as PanOmics, iPSC and Just – Evotec Biologics. This constitutes one of the strongest drug discovery and development platforms in the industry.

Evotec confirms its company guidance 2023, as communicated in the 9M 2023 results publication on 8 November 2023. 

Dr Werner Lanthaler, commented: “After an extremely challenging, and also physically and overall, very exhausting 2023, and upon deep reflection in the last weeks and into the new year, I came to the conclusion to step down as CEO, as I could not serve the company to the best of my ability in the coming years. The company is in a very strong position, and the teams are delivering excellent work, so that the execution of our long-term strategy is secured and well on track. With PanOmics driven drug-discovery, iPSCs, and Just – Evotec Biologics the company is set up for long-term global leadership and success.

I want to thank all my co-workers, friends, partners, investors, my Management teams and Supervisory Board for a wonderful and most inspirational time. Building THE leading company for external innovation globally is just at the beginning, and I feel that we all made a great start together. Before starting my next entrepreneurial chapter, I intend to take an educational sabbatical over the next six to nine months, focused on disruptive themes in technology and political changes.”

Prof. Dr Iris Löw-Friedrich, Chairperson of Evotec’s Supervisory Board, stated: “On behalf of the members of the Supervisory Board and everyone at Evotec, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Werner for his unique vision and many important achievements over the course of the last almost 15 years. Together with the deeply committed and highly competent teams in Evotec, he formed a most respected innovation platform for the discovery and development of new medicines. Werner joined Evotec at a time when the company was in a very difficult situation and has shaped a business model, which is now unique in the industry. We respect his decision, we stay in contact, and wish him all the best for his future.”