After heading the firm for 20 years, bioprocess vendor Sartorius has announced the departure of its CEO Joachim Kreuzburg. As his current tenure with the firm expires in November 2025, Kreuzberg will not be extending his contract. Joining Sartorius in 1999, he was appointed to the executive board in 2003.

“Sartorius owes Joachim Kreuzburg an extraordinary amount. With his dynamic entrepreneurial qualities, he has transformed the company into an internationally leading and particularly profitable life science group, expanded the technology and product portfolio enormously and built up an outstanding team,” said Lothar Kappich, chairman, supervisory board, Sartorius.

“We very much regret his decision. At the same time, we would like to thank him for informing us of his decision at an early stage and for continuing to be available to Sartorius until November 2025. The supervisory board will now initiate a succession process in an orderly and careful manner. I look forward to continuing to work so closely and well with Joachim Kreuzburg for another one and a half years until his departure.”

During his term, Sartorius’ sales increased sevenfold, and profits stood at €1 billion. With over 14,000 employees, the Group’s stock market value increased over €17 billion.

AGC Biologics

Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) AGC biologics has appointed Ben Clauberg as vice president, business development, Europe.

Having worked at AGC for over six years, Clauberg previously held the position of senior director of business development. He will now oversee operations for the Seattle, Washington-based firm.

“Ben has been an invaluable asset to our company, demonstrating exceptional leadership and a keen strategic vision for business development. His promotion to vice president of business development for the EU is a testament to his outstanding contributions and dedication to our mission. I know he will help drive growth and innovation for AGC Biologics in this new role,” said Christoph Winterhalter, chief business officer, AGC Biologics.

With over 20 years of experience, Clauberg has held management roles at Vetter and Rentschler, before joining AGC in 2018.

“I am thrilled to step into this new leadership role and help AGC Biologics advance its mission of improving patient lives by bringing new biopharmaceutical innovations to market," said Clauberg.

AbbVie

Robert Michael has been appointed as AbbVie’s CEO and has joined the board of directors.

Announced in February 2024, Michael will take charge of the firm from Richard Gonzalez. Meanwhile, Gonzalez will assume charge as the executive chairman of the board of directors of the firm.

“I look forward to working with our approximately 50,000 employees to drive the next phase of AbbVie's growth. I am committed to preserving our strong culture and delivering a remarkable impact for our patients, employees, shareholders and communities. I would like to thank Rick for his strong leadership for the past 11 years, and I am grateful he will continue to contribute to AbbVie as executive chairman,” said Michael.

Having spearheaded AbbVie’s financial strategy as vice president of financial planning and analysis at the time of its separation from Abbott in 2013, Michael has held several key positions, including chief financial officer in 2018, vice chairman of finance and commercial operations in 2021, vice chairman and president in 2022, and president and chief operating officer in 2023.

Additionally, he serves on AbbVie's executive leadership team, where he is responsible for overseeing global commercial operations, finance, corporate human resources, global operations, business development, and corporate strategy.